Silicon carbide Schottky diode detector for fusion neutron yields monitoring using associated particle method

•The SiC Schottky diode detector was fabricated and used to monitor D-T fusion neutron yields by associated particle method.•Accurate neutron yields were obtained and the results were highly consistent with the conventional Si surface barrier detector.•A long service lifetime of SiC detector based neutron yields monitoring system can be expected. The associated particle method is proven to be one of ideal options for D-T fusion neutron detection, acquiring accurate neutron yields by monitoring α particle. Semiconductor detectors can be used to detect α particle for compact size, high energy-resolution, and stable response. SiC detector with high radiation resistance is benefit for long service time in fusion neutron monitoring. In this paper, a SiC Schottky diode detector is used to detect associated α particles for D-T fusion neutron monitoring, and successfully gets accurate neutron yields, being highly consistent with the conventional Si surface barrier detector. It is encouraging to find out SiC detector can afford 2.56 × 109 cm−2 α particles irradiation, with slight performance degradation of dark current and energy resolution, indicating that SiC detector is a promising candidate for fusion neutron detection.