Crystal Growth of Na-Co-Doped Ce:LiCaAlF₆ Single Crystals and Their Optical, Scintillation, and Physical Properties

Abstract

We have grown Ce- and Na-co-doped LiCaAlF6 (Ce,Na:LiCAF) single crystals with various Ce and Na concentrations by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. Physical properties such as crystallinity, transmittance, photoluminescence, scintillation, and radiation resistance were investigated to evaluate the effects of charge compensation by Na co-doping in the Ce-doped LiCaAlF6 (Ce:LiCAF) crystal. Ce2%:LiCAF, Ce1%Na1%:LiCAF, Ce1.5%Na1.5%:LiCAF, and Ce2%Na2%:LiCAF crystals with no visible cracks and inclusions were prepared. The Ce1%Na1%:LiCAF crystal showed high crystallinity comparable to the crystal grown by the Czochralski method. In the transmittance and photoluminescence spectra of all crystals, an absorption peak around 270 nm and emission peaks around 285 and 310 nm originating from Ce3+ ions were observed, respectively. With increasing Ce and Na concentrations, the light yield systematically increased, and scintillation decay times decreased. Improvement of radiation resistance accomplished by charge compensation due to Na co-doping is clearly demonstrated.