A neutron spectrometer is provided by a series of substrates covered by a solid-state
detector stacked on an absorbing layer. As many as 12 substrates that convert neutrons
to protons are covered by a layer of absorbing material, acting as a proton absorber,
with the detector placed within the layer to count protons passing through the
absorbing layer. By using 12 detectors the range of neutron energies are covered.
The flat embodiment of the neutron spectrometer is a chamber, a group of detectors
each having an absorber layer, with each detector separated by gaps and arranged
in an egg-crate-like structure within the chamber. Each absorber layer is constructed
with a different thickness according to the minimum and maximum energies of neutrons
in the spectrum. In this arrangement, each of the 12 surface facets provides a
polyethylene substrate to convert neutrons to protons, covered by a layer of absorbing
material, acting as a proton absorber, with the detector stacked on the absorbing
layer to count protons passing through the absorbing layer.