Characteristics of Ce-doped phosphate inorganic glass scintillators for gamma- and X-ray detection

Abstract

We report on the structural, photoluminescence (PL), and scintillation properties of Ce-doped P2O5–Al2O3–Cs2O–BaO glass scintillators having different Ce concentrations (1.96, 3.85, 7.41, 10.7, and 13.8 mol%) for gamma- and X-ray detection. The highest density (3.57 g/cm3) was achieved with Ce concentration of 13.8 mol%. The PL emission and X-ray-induced radioluminescence spectra showed emission peaks corresponding to the allowed transition from the Ce3+ 5d excited state to the 4f ground states. The highest scintillation light yields (approximately 2200 photons/MeV) were achieved with Ce concentrations of 7.41, 10.7, and 13.8 mol%. These light yields are higher than those previously reported for glasses containing heavy elements, such as Eu-doped SiO2–Al2O3–HfO2 (630 photons/MeV), Ce-doped P2O5–Li2O–GdI3–Al2O3–CaCO3 (1600 photons/MeV), and Ce-doped SiO2–Al2O3–BaF2–Gd2O3 (2050 photons/MeV). For all glasses, short scintillation decay times (28.5–34.0 ns) corresponding to the transition from the Ce3+ 5d excited state to the 4f ground states were observed. These results indicate that the fabricated glass with an optimal Ce concentration of 13.8 mol% is suitable for gamma- and X-ray detection.