Structure–Property Correlations in a Ce-Doped (Lu,Gd)₂SiO₅:Ce Scintillator

Abstract

A full concentration range of Lu2xGd2–2xSiO5 (LGSO:Ce) crystals was grown by the Czochralski method. Dependence of the scintillation properties on composition (x) in the range of solid solutions is established. It was determined that the LGSO:Ce scintillation yield increases in the range 0.3 < x < 0.8 and reaches 29000 phot/MeV at 60% of Lu in the host (x = 0.6), and energy resolution improves up to 6.7% at 662 KeV. The observed light yield increase, surprisingly high Ce3+ segregation coefficients, improvement of energy resolution, and suppression of afterglow can be attributed to modification of both hot and thermalized diffusion of secondary electrons and holes induced by short-range separation in solid solution. The proposed approach can be valid for a wide range of mixed scintillation crystals and provides room for further improvement of their characteristics by isovalent substitution of host atoms.