Novel neutron detectors based on the time projection method

We present the first prototype of a novel thermal neutron detector using the time projection method. The system consists of 8 TimePix ASICs with postprocessed InGrid meshes. Each ASIC has 256 x 256 pixels of 55 mu m x 55 mu m in size with the capability to measure charge or time. This allows to visualize entire conversion particle tracks with their spatial and time information and, by using event reconstruction algorithms, discriminate against the background of others. By using the Scalable Readout System the detector as presented here could also be upscaled to much larger active areas. In the current configuration with a (B4C)-B-10 layer of 1 mu m thickness aligned in parallel to the readout we could achieve in Ar:CO2 80:20 a spatial resolution of sigma = (115 +/- 8) mu m.