| Summary: | Several methods to detect thermal neutrons make use of the naturally occurring <sup>6</sup>Li isotope, as it has a rather high cross-section for neutron capture followed by a decay into an alpha particle and a triton. Due to the high chemical reactivity of lithium, the use of the stable isotopic salt <sup>6</sup>LiF is generally preferred to the pure <sup>6</sup>Li. The typical method for depositing thin layers of <sup>6</sup>LiF on suitable substrates, therefore creating so-called neutron converters, is evaporation under vacuum. The evaporation technique, as well as a newly developed chemical deposition process, are described along with their benefits and drawbacks, and the results of neutron detection tests performed with the two types of converters coupled to silicon diodes show convenient performances.
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