Czochralski Growth and Properties of Scintillating Crystals

Abstract

The Czochralski method is one of the very few melt growth techniques that are industry friendly when considering the combination of quality, dimensions, and cost of the produced crystals suitable for their commercialization in scintillation detectors. This method is one of the oldest and most developed crystal growth processes regarding an adequate understanding the physical phenomena observed during solidication process and its practical expansion especially in the industrial scale production. It allows controllable formation of single-crystalline cylindrical ingots of various inorganic scintillation materials. The review summarizes recent progress on the Czochralski growth of a number of scintillation materials. The oxide crystals are mainly considered including the Ce and Pr--doped RE3Al5O12, RE = Y, Lu, aluminum garnets and newly discovered ultraecient Ce-doped Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 multicomponent garnet, high density PbWO4 and CdWO4 tungstates, Ce-doped RE2SiO5, RE = Y, Gd, Lu, oxyorthosilicates and (Y,Lu)AlO3 aluminum perovskites and nally the classical Bi4Ge3O12 scintillator. Additionally, the details of the growth of other practically important non-oxide crystals, namely the Ce and Eu-doped LiCaAlF6 neutron and ultraecient Ce-doped LaBr3 scintillators, are discussed. The potential of novel micro-pulling down growth method is briey described in the combinatorial search for new scintillator materials. Selected luminescence and scintillation characteristics including the spectra and decay kinetics, light yield and radiation resistance are also illustrated and overviewed.

Recent R&D Trends in Inorganic Single‐Crystal Scintillator Materials for Radiation Detection

“…This material, as well as all the material systems mentioned below, are prepared by the Czochralski method, the principle of which is sketched in Figure 7 . [ 104 ] Bulk single crystals of all the material systems described below in this section are grown from the melt using the Czochralski method. This method is one of the oldest and most developed.…”

“…It allows the controllable formation of single-crystalline cylindrical ingots of various inorganic scintillation materials A review has recently been published summarising the results of Czochralski growth of a number of scintillation materials. [ 104 ] Bulk single crystals of all the material systems described below in this section are grown from the melt using the Czochralski method. Due to their high melting temperature (above 1700 °C), an iridium crucible must be used.…”

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of multi-component oxide single crystals: Ce:GGAG and Ce:La-GPS

“…This allows to decrease consumption of time and make the material R&D more cost-effective. Principles and schematic diagrams of both these methods are described in recent reviews [12][13][14]. The position of the floating zone method regarding the material and time consumption, and quality of the crystal produced, is most probably intermediate with respect to the above two methods.…”

Synthesis of GAGG:Ce3+ powder for ceramics using mechanochemical and solution combustion methods

“…This material has been considered useful for both gamma and X‐ray applications, as well as alpha particle detection and nuclear medicine . An extensive list of physical and scintillation properties of GAGG:Ce is shown in Table . Calculations for the attenuation lengths for this material were conducted using data from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) XCOM Database…”