High energy resolution with transparent ceramic garnet scintillators

N. J. Cherepy; Z. M. Seeley; S. A. Payne; P. R. Beck; E. L. Swanberg; S. Hunter; L. Ahle; S. E. Fisher; C. Melcher; H. Wei; T. Stefanik; Y.-S. Chung; J. Kindem

doi:10.1117/12.2062959

9 September 2014 High energy resolution with transparent ceramic garnet scintillators

N. J. Cherepy, Z. M. Seeley, S. A. Payne, P. R. Beck, E. L. Swanberg, S. Hunter, L. Ahle, S. E. Fisher, C. Melcher, H. Wei, T. Stefanik, Y.-S. Chung, J. Kindem

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9213, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XVI; 921302 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062959
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Breakthrough energy resolution, R(662keV) < 4%, has been achieved with an oxide scintillator, Cerium-doped Gadolinium Yttrium Gallium Aluminum Garnet, or GYGAG(Ce). Transparent ceramic GYGAG(Ce), has a peak emission wavelength of 550 nm that is better matched to Silicon photodetectors than to standard PMTs. We are therefore developing a spectrometer based on pixelated GYGAG(Ce) on a Silicon photodiode array that can provide R(662 keV) = 3.6%. In comparison, with large 1-2 in³ size GYGAG(Ce) ceramics we obtain R(662 keV) = 4.6% with PMT readout. We find that ceramic GYGAG(Ce) of a given stoichiometric chemical composition can exhibit very different scintillation properties, depending on sintering conditions and post-anneal treatments. Among the characteristics of transparent ceramic garnet scintillators that can be controlled by fabrication conditions are: scintillation decay components and their amplitudes, intensity and duration of afterglow, thermoluminescence glow curve peak positions and amplitudes, integrated light yield, light yield non-proportionality - as measured in the Scintillator Light Yield Non-Proportionality Characterization Instrument (SLYNCI), and energy resolution for gamma spectroscopy. Garnet samples exhibiting a significant fraction of Cerium dopant in the tetravalent valence also exhibit: faster overall scintillation decay, very low afterglow, high light yield, but poor light yield proportionality and degraded energy resolution.

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N. J. Cherepy, Z. M. Seeley, S. A. Payne, P. R. Beck, E. L. Swanberg, S. Hunter, L. Ahle, S. E. Fisher, C. Melcher, H. Wei, T. Stefanik, Y.-S. Chung, and J. Kindem "High energy resolution with transparent ceramic garnet scintillators", Proc. SPIE 9213, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XVI, 921302 (9 September 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2062959

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