Nuclear reactor radiation and temperature effects on piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices

Ryan Chesser; Maha Yazbeck; Marat Khafizov

doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165446

Nuclear reactor radiation and temperature effects on piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices

Ryan Chesser, Maha Yazbeck, Marat Khafizov

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators were characterized in-situ in a nuclear reactor environment at high-temperature. Devices based on lithium niobate (LiNbO₃), aluminum nitride (sc-AlN), and thin-film aluminum nitride on sapphire substrate (AlN/sapphire) were tested up to 400 °C temperature and 1.9×10¹² n/cm²s neutron flux. Shifts in device resonant frequency were detected in response to temperature and neutron flux. Devices undergo a frequency change when exposed to neutron flux. At 300 °C, AlN/sapphire produced the strongest neutron flux response about 1.02 ppm at 1.27×10¹² n/cm²s neutron flux (5.7 × 10⁴ rad-Si/hr neutron dose rate), compared to 0.30 ppm for LiNbO₃ and 0.17 ppm for sc-AlN. While the transient kinetics in response to step change in neutron flux support the defect-accumulation mechanism, the concurrent measurement of device temperature using resistive temperature sensor suggests additional heating caused by absorption of gamma rays can also play a role. These results make SAW devices attractive candidates for sensor applications in extreme environments.

Original language	English
Article number	165446
Journal	Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Volume	554
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165446
State	Published - Sep 2024
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy under Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP award DE-NE0008811) and as a part of Nuclear Scientific User Facilities (DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517). The authors would like to acknowledge the support of The Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory and the assistance of the reactor staff members Joel Hatch, Kevin Herminghuysen, Andrew Kauffman, Maria McGraw, Matthew Van Zile, and Susan White for the irradiation services provided. The authors would also like to thank Yuzhou Wang and Gaofeng Sha for their previous work and assistance with experiment design.

Keywords

Aluminum nitride
In-pile irradiation
Lithium niobate
Radiation damage
Reactor irradiation
Reactor sensors
Surface acoustic waves

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title = "Nuclear reactor radiation and temperature effects on piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices",

abstract = "Surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators were characterized in-situ in a nuclear reactor environment at high-temperature. Devices based on lithium niobate (LiNbO3), aluminum nitride (sc-AlN), and thin-film aluminum nitride on sapphire substrate (AlN/sapphire) were tested up to 400 °C temperature and 1.9×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux. Shifts in device resonant frequency were detected in response to temperature and neutron flux. Devices undergo a frequency change when exposed to neutron flux. At 300 °C, AlN/sapphire produced the strongest neutron flux response about 1.02 ppm at 1.27×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux (5.7 × 104 rad-Si/hr neutron dose rate), compared to 0.30 ppm for LiNbO3 and 0.17 ppm for sc-AlN. While the transient kinetics in response to step change in neutron flux support the defect-accumulation mechanism, the concurrent measurement of device temperature using resistive temperature sensor suggests additional heating caused by absorption of gamma rays can also play a role. These results make SAW devices attractive candidates for sensor applications in extreme environments.",

keywords = "Aluminum nitride, In-pile irradiation, Lithium niobate, Radiation damage, Reactor irradiation, Reactor sensors, Surface acoustic waves",

author = "Ryan Chesser and Maha Yazbeck and Marat Khafizov",

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year = "2024",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.nimb.2024.165446",

language = "English",

volume = "554",

journal = "Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms",

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T1 - Nuclear reactor radiation and temperature effects on piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices

AU - Chesser, Ryan

AU - Yazbeck, Maha

AU - Khafizov, Marat

PY - 2024/9

Y1 - 2024/9

N2 - Surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators were characterized in-situ in a nuclear reactor environment at high-temperature. Devices based on lithium niobate (LiNbO3), aluminum nitride (sc-AlN), and thin-film aluminum nitride on sapphire substrate (AlN/sapphire) were tested up to 400 °C temperature and 1.9×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux. Shifts in device resonant frequency were detected in response to temperature and neutron flux. Devices undergo a frequency change when exposed to neutron flux. At 300 °C, AlN/sapphire produced the strongest neutron flux response about 1.02 ppm at 1.27×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux (5.7 × 104 rad-Si/hr neutron dose rate), compared to 0.30 ppm for LiNbO3 and 0.17 ppm for sc-AlN. While the transient kinetics in response to step change in neutron flux support the defect-accumulation mechanism, the concurrent measurement of device temperature using resistive temperature sensor suggests additional heating caused by absorption of gamma rays can also play a role. These results make SAW devices attractive candidates for sensor applications in extreme environments.

AB - Surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators were characterized in-situ in a nuclear reactor environment at high-temperature. Devices based on lithium niobate (LiNbO3), aluminum nitride (sc-AlN), and thin-film aluminum nitride on sapphire substrate (AlN/sapphire) were tested up to 400 °C temperature and 1.9×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux. Shifts in device resonant frequency were detected in response to temperature and neutron flux. Devices undergo a frequency change when exposed to neutron flux. At 300 °C, AlN/sapphire produced the strongest neutron flux response about 1.02 ppm at 1.27×1012 n/cm2s neutron flux (5.7 × 104 rad-Si/hr neutron dose rate), compared to 0.30 ppm for LiNbO3 and 0.17 ppm for sc-AlN. While the transient kinetics in response to step change in neutron flux support the defect-accumulation mechanism, the concurrent measurement of device temperature using resistive temperature sensor suggests additional heating caused by absorption of gamma rays can also play a role. These results make SAW devices attractive candidates for sensor applications in extreme environments.

KW - Aluminum nitride

KW - In-pile irradiation

KW - Lithium niobate

KW - Radiation damage

KW - Reactor irradiation

KW - Reactor sensors

KW - Surface acoustic waves

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SN - 0168-583X

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JO - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

JF - Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

M1 - 165446

ER -

Nuclear reactor radiation and temperature effects on piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices

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