Development of SiC detector for the harsh environment applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) radiation detector was developed at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for the harsh environment applications, which include power monitor of the reactor core of the nuclear power plant. The wide band gap of SiC semiconductor makes the SiC attractive candidate for use in high temperature and high radiation environment. The effects of radiation irradiation on the detector performance were studied. Especially, the effect of metal electrode on the radiation tolerance of the SiC detector was investigated. The leakage currents and the alpha energy spectra measured with the SiC detectors were compared before and after the neutron and gamma-ray irradiation. The operation properties of the SiC detector were also measured as the temperature of the detector was increased. A water-proof SiC detector assembly was fabricated as a power monitor of the power plant. The reactor power was successfully monitored in the reactor core of High-flux Advanced Neutron Application ReactOr (HANARO) of KAERI with the detector assembly.