Chemical vapour deposited (sCVD) diamond detectors are currently under study in the nuclear community. Their fast response, their ability to withstand high irradiation fluxes and additionally the envisaged possibility to perform simple neutron spectrometry, make them good candidates for in-core measurement. The LRS started the joint development of a full new detection system based on this material with the CIVIDEC start-up. A first prototype was tested in November 2015 in CROCUS (see Figure). One of the main purposes of the experiments is to work on the discrimination of gammas, thermal and fast neutrons (pulse-shape analysis) for demonstrating its possible use in a mixed radiation field like that of CROCUS.
Figure: Diamond detector manufactured by CIVIDEC (left) and example of pulse shape discrimination based on measurements in CROCUS (right).