Growth and scintillation properties of directionally solidified ce:Labr3/aebr2 (AE = mG, Ca, Sr, Ba) eutectic system

Abstract

Ce-doped LaBr3 /AEBr2 (AE = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) eutectics were grown using the Bridgman–Stockbarger (BS) method in quartz ampoules. The eutectics (AE = Mg and Ca) showed optical transparency like optical fiber bundles. A grown Ce-doped LaBr3 /MgBr2 eutectic shows a 355 nm emission ascribed to Ce3+ 4f-5d transition under X-ray excitation. The smaller the ionic size of AE, the higher the light yield of the sample was. The light yield of Ce:LaBr3 /MgBr2 was 34,300 photon/MeV, which is higher than Ce:LYSO standard. Scintillation decay time under 662 keV gamma-ray excitation was 18.8 ns.