Development of a Two-Dimensional Thermal-Neutron Detector with an Entrance Window of 600 × 600 mm

A two-dimensional thermal-neutron detector developed for a small-angle diffractometer by the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute is described. The detector, with a sensitive area of 600 × 600 mm2, is based on a multiwire proportional chamber. A gas mixture containing 3He is the neutron converter. A new technology for manufacturing electrodes has been developed and used to increase both the gas purity and the lifetime of the detector without refilling its working volume under the experimental conditions. Data acquisition is carried out by the readout system based on the method of cathode-strip data readout to an LC delay line, which is located inside the detector. The detector is operable in a vacuum owing to its design.