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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu
Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

DOUGLAS McGREGOR
Associate professor, mechanical and nuclear engineering

 

Douglas McGregorDouglas McGregor is working to make the job of nuclear weapons inspectors easier.

The associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering at Kansas State University has developed a small, portable device that detects neutrons, which are commonly emitted by some nuclear weapons.

McGregor's research is part of the Semiconductor Materials and Radiological Technologies Laboratory. The SMART Laboratory was moved from the University of Michigan to K-State when McGregor joined the K-State faculty in April 2002. K-State's nuclear reactor provides McGregor a reliable source for neutrons.

Recently, his devices, which were originally designed to detect neutrons for imaging purposes, have generated much interest, with the concern over Iraq's possible possession of unauthorized nuclear weapons. The detectors can detect neutrons from a variety of sources, including certain special nuclear materials. The devices can also be used for remote neutron monitoring and active dosimetry, or measuring average dosages of neutrons in a certain area to detect radiation levels.

Although McGregor is not the first to design and fabricate neutron detectors, many of his detector models are smaller, thinner, more rugged and less expensive than previous versions based on gas-filled tubes and scintillating crystals, which convert radiation interactions to visible light.

The essence of the small, portable detector is a tiny wafer developed by McGregor. The wafer, about the size of a collar button, is made from a semiconductor material similar to silicon and coated with a material sensitive to neutron emissions. When neutrons interact in the device, the detector emits electronic pulses. McGregor said some detector models could be manufactured for about $10 to $20. Detectors built by McGregor have already demonstrated intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of 13 percent, with new modeling results indicating that the latest device versions in progress can exceed 50 percent thermal neutron detection efficiency, all with a device no thicker than a dime.

McGregor's research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense.

McGregor received bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University, as well as a master's and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan. In addition to designing radiation detectors, McGregor's research interests include room-temperature semiconductor-based gamma ray spectrometer design, nuclear measurements of various ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and semiconductor device physics, design and fabrication.

You can reach him at 785-532-5284 or by e-mail at mcgregor@k-state.edu.