Production of Stilbene for Fast Neutron Detections

The organic scintillator stilbene is well-known as an excellent material for detection of fast neutrons in a gamma-ray background. Unfortunately, applications have been limited due to availability. Commercial production of stilbene using melt crystal growth techniques has not yielded material in large quantities and sizes. Solution crystal growth of stilbene has recently been demonstrated by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a cost-effective alternative with the potential for scaling to large, high quality crystals. Inrad Optics is pursuing stilbene solution growth and fabrication in collaboration with LLNL to transfer that research to a production process.