Sensitivity of a Gd-coated resistive plate chamber to low-energy neutrons

We present the design and the construction of a resistive plate chamber (RPC) with a Gd-coated electrode for the detection of low-energy neutrons, The signals were read out by using two perpendicular strip planes. The sensitivity of the RPC was tested by using the ²⁵²Cf source at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, After the background had been properly subtracted, the neutron detection efficiency was determined to be about 3% and 2% for the backward and the forward scattered electron configurations, respectively, at an incident energy of about 75 meV.