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The Center for the
  Strategic Applications of Nuclear Sensors

Dr. Walter McNeil

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


Walter McNeil is constructing a holder for testing his CdZnTe crystals.
Walter McNeil is constructing a holder for testing his CdZnTe crystals.

The simple
The simple "Frisch Grid" collimator device built by Walter yielded energy resolution less than 1.7% FWHM at 662 keV!

Room temperature spectrum taken with the CdZnTe Frisch collimator detector.
Room temperature spectrum taken with the CdZnTe Frisch collimator detector.

Walter slowly pushes a boat of Si wafers into the oxidation furnace.
Walter slowly pushes a boat of Si wafers into the oxidation furnace.



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