Mission of the
S.M.A.R.T. Lab
People
S.M.A.R.T.
Laboratory Rooms
Equipment
and Capabilities
Funded Projects
Recently Completed
Projects
Facility Location
and Layout
Reports, Patents and Publications
News
Videos and Photographs
Job Postings
Resources
Contact Us
The Center for the
Strategic Applications of Nuclear Sensors
|
|
Dr. Walter McNeil BS-ME 2005; PhD-NE 2010; Dr. Walter McNeil worked with Dr. Mark Harrison and Dr. Alireza Kargar to develop novel CdZnTe gamma ray spectrometers, and made the news with a simple
CdZnTe detector that yielded 1.7% FWHM energy resolution at 662 keV. Dr. McNeil is a co-recipient of a R&D 100 award for the Frisch Collar CdZnTe
gamma ray spectrometer in 2005. For his PhD project, Dr. McNeil worked to produce high-efficiency thermal neutron imaging arrays for the DOE
Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The special detectors have thousand of microscopic perforations, all backfilled with neutron reactive materials,
etched into high purity Si substrates. Thus far, the novel detectors had 110 micron spatial resolution and yielded over 14% intrinsic thermal neutron
detection efficiency. Dr. McNeil also helped design and build semiconductor microstructured neutron detectors with Steven Bellinger.
These detectors recently yielded over 42% intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency for 1 cm2 devices, for which Dr. McNeil was a co-recipient of a second
R&D 100 Award in 2009. At graduation, Dr. McNeil had 33 published papers in archival journals and conference records, and one allowed patent.
After graduation, Dr. McNeil worked at SPAWAR in the San Diego area for several years. Overall, Dr. McNeil is the co-recipient of three R&D 100 awards, presented
years 2005, 2009, and 2014. In 2015, Dr. McNeil returned to Kansas State University
as an assistant professor, and started a research program on nuclear electronics and radiation detection systems.
In 2020, Dr. McNeil was promoted to Associate Professor. Advisor: Douglas S. McGregor
|
|