Srijan LLC

partnered with

Sandia National Laboratory

Overcoming the Material-Growth Barrier
for Fabrication of a Novel Semiconductor
Neutron Detector for Advanced Nuclear
Power Plants – NE-26-39278

YEAR AWARDED: FY-2026

ABSTRACT:

Srijan LLC, located in College Station, TX, is developing the N800 semiconductor neutron detector using hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to enable high-temperature neutron detection for advanced reactors. However, current hBN materials contain carbon impurities that severely degrade charge collection efficiency, preventing reliable neutron detection performance and blocking advancement beyond a proof-of-concept stage.

Srijan will work with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to grow thick-film hBN using carbon-free precursors such as boron tribromide and borazine, enabling the material quality needed for neutron detector applications. SNL possesses specialized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor facilities and expertise in carbon-free hBN epitaxial growth that are unavailable commercially and the laboratory’s advanced characterization capabilities, including XRD, SIMS, and Raman spectroscopy, are also essential for validating impurity levels and semiconductor performance.

This project will enable next-generation neutron detectors capable of operating at temperatures up to 800°C, significantly exceeding the limits of current He-3 detectors and scintillators used in advanced reactors. The compact, high-temperature-capable N800 detector could improve reactor safety through real-time neutron flux monitoring and autonomous reactor controls while reducing instrumentation complexity and cost for advanced reactor systems.