Performance of new ceramic scintillators for gamma- and x-ray detection

Dariusz J. Wisniewski; Lynn A. Boatner; John S. Neal; Gerald E. Jellison; Joanne O. Ramey; Andrea North; Monika Wisniewska; Aleksander Lempicki; Charlie Brecher; Jaroslaw Glodo

doi:10.1117/12.734440

1 October 2007 Performance of new ceramic scintillators for gamma- and x-ray detection

Dariusz J. Wisniewski, Lynn A. Boatner, John S. Neal, Gerald E. Jellison, Joanne O. Ramey, Andrea North, Monika Wisniewska, Aleksander Lempicki, Charlie Brecher, Jaroslaw Glodo

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6706, Hard X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detector Physics IX; 670619 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734440
Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Ceramic materials show significant promise for the production of reasonably priced, large-size scintillators. Ceramics have recently received a great deal of attention in the field of materials for laser applications, and the technology for fabricating high-optical-quality polycrystalline ceramics of cubic materials has been well developed. The formation of transparent ceramics of non-cubic materials is, however, much more difficult as a result of birefringence effects in differently oriented grains. Here, we will describe the performance of a few new ceramics developed for the detection of gamma- and x-ray radiation. Results are presented for ceramic analogs of three crystalline materials - cubic Lu₂O₃, and non-cubic LaBr₃, and Lu₂SiO₅ or LSO (hexagonal, and monoclinic structures, respectively). The impact of various sintering, hot-pressing and post-formation annealing procedures on the light yield, transparency, and other parameters, will be discussed. The study of LaBr₃:Ce shows that fairly translucent ceramics of rare-earth halides can be fabricated and they can reach relatively high light yield values. Despite the fact that no evidence for texturing has been found in our LSO:Ce ceramic microstructures, the material demonstrates a surprisingly high level of translucency or transparency. While the scintillation of LSO:Ce ceramic reaches a light yield level of about 86 % of that of a good LSO:Ce single crystal, its decay time is even faster, and the long term afterglow is lower than in LSO single crystals.

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Dariusz J. Wisniewski, Lynn A. Boatner, John S. Neal, Gerald E. Jellison, Joanne O. Ramey, Andrea North, Monika Wisniewska, Aleksander Lempicki, Charlie Brecher, and Jaroslaw Glodo "Performance of new ceramic scintillators for gamma- and x-ray detection", Proc. SPIE 6706, Hard X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Detector Physics IX, 670619 (1 October 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734440

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