Design, synthesis, characterization and application of rare-earth doped glass and glass ceramic scintillators

Abstract

Single crystal scintillators have been the premier choice for gamma ray detecting applications due to their high luminescent efficiency and sharp energy resolutions. However, there remain downsides to the use of single crystal scintillators such as production expense, vulnerability to environmental factors, and rigid shaping. Industries have been searching for lower cost alternatives to single crystal scintillators in order to make more portable devices practical. Glass and glass-ceramic scintillators have gained attention for their lower production cost, scalability, and ease of shaping to fit complex geometries. By the nature of the glass matrix any crystalline phases within the material are self-encapsulated, which avoids the issue of hygroscopicity and reduces the impact of mechanical shock and high temperature exposure. The main issue holding back glass and glass-ceramic scintillators has been the low luminescent efficiency stemming from the inherent disorder in the non-crystalline glassy matrix. We believe this downside can be mitigated through increases to density, harnessing the innate energy transfer capabilities of constituent materials, and controlled nucleation of crystalline phases within the glass structure. Glass-ceramics combine the robust resilience of glass with the luminescent capabilities of crystalline nanoparticles by precipitating nano-sized crystals within the glass matrix. This study approaches the field of glass and glass-ceramic based scintillators with rare-earth rich, high density compositions modeled after known crystal systems in order to produce a glass ceramic scintillator that could compete with single crystals.