Luminescence Characteristics of LiCaAlF\(_6\):Eu TLD Phosphor

Abstract

The material LiCaAlF\({}_{6}\):Eu (0.1 mol%) in microcrystalline form was prepared through water solution coprecipitation method followed by melting it at around 900 \({}^\circ\)C in a graphite crucible. The ingot was crushed and sieved through standard sieves to obtain powder approximate in the range 100-125 \(\mu\)m. The material was annealed at around 200-800 \({}^\circ\)C. The material was characterized by XRD. The materials were irradiated to different doses of \(\gamma\)-rays using \({}^{60}\)Co radioactive source and thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves were recorded. The powder material was found to be at least 10 times more sensitive than CaSO\({}_{4}\):Dy commercially available TLD pellets. However, as the dosimetry peak is at around 180 \({}^\circ\)C, there is fading around 20%. Considering these facts, the material could be considered as a highly sensitive and suitable TLD phosphor.