Recent progress in oxide scintillation crystals development by low-thermal gradient Czochralski technique for particle physics experiments

Abstract

Modern particle physics experiments call for high performance scintillation detectors with unique properties: radiation-resistant in high energy and astrophysics, highly radiopure, containing certain elements or enriched isotopes in astroparticle physics. The low-thermal gradient Czochralski (LTG CZ) crystal growth technique provides excellent quality large volume radiopure crystal scintillators. Absence of thermoelastic stress in the crystal and overheating of the melt in the LTG CZ method is particularly significant in production of crystalline materials with strong thermal anisotropic properties and low mechanical strength, with a very high yield of crystalline boules and low losses of initial charge, crucially important in production of crystal scintillators from enriched isotopes for double beta decay experiments. Here we discuss progress in development of the well known scintillators (Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO), CdWO4, ZnWO4, CaMoO4, PbMoO4), as well as R{&}D of new materials (ZnMoO4, Li2MoO4, Na2Mo2O7) for the next generation experiments in particle physics.