Coated semiconductor diodes have been eyed for decades as a way to reliably detect neutrons, and for good reason. Compact size, low power, low cost, durability, and mass-production friendliness are all factors that help offset the inherent disadvantage of a practical maximum thermal-neutron detection limit of 4.5%. For that reason they have not been considered a viable neutron detection technology, until the recent introduction of High-Efficiency Microstructured Semiconductor Neutron Detectors by researchers at the SMART Laboratory at Kansas State Univ. and Alion Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va. A new technique has been developed to create perforations in semiconductor diodes that are backfilled with neutron absorbing materials, thereby creating high-efficiency, perforated, solid-state neutron detectors. The result is a detector that weighs far less than existing detectors, costs far less, and is easily mass-producible using very-large-scale integration methods. The compact size and scalability suggests dozens of potential applications, from particle physics to border security.