High-rate measurements of the novel BAND-GEM technology for thermal neutron detection at spallation sources

Thermal neutron detection technologies alternative to He-3, featuring a rate capability matching the high flux expected at the European Spallation Source (ESS), are one of the main present challenges of neutron science. A new thermal neutron detection technology was recently developed named the BAND-GEM, a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM)-based detector provided with a borated 3D converter to reach high efficiency. In this paper the results of a count rate test performed on the BAND-GEM at the ORPHEE reactor are presented. The results show that the detector can easily reach a neutron count rate of 2 MHz/cm(2) while maintaining a good linearity and it is able to reach 8 MHz/cm(2) with a measurable loss of linearity eta and with no sign of instability.