Growth and characterization of Ce-doped Ca3(BO3)2 crystals for neutron scintillator

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth Vol. 318; no. 1; pp. 784 - 787
• Main Authors: Fujimoto, Yutaka, Yanagida, Takayuki, Tanaka, Hidehiko, Yokota, Yuui, Kawaguti, Noriaki, Fukuda, Kentaro, Totsuka, Daisuke, Watanabe, Kenichi, Yamazaki, Atsushi, Yoshikawa, Akira
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: A2. Czochralski method; B1. Borates; B2. Scintillator materials; B3. Scintillators; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Growth from melts; zone melting and refining; Materials science; Methods of crystal growth; physics of crystal growth; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Other topics in nanoscale materials and structures; Photoluminescence; Physics; Theory and models of film growth; B3. Scintillators; B1. Borates; A2. Czochralski method; B2. Scintillator materials; Calcium Borates; Ground states; Photoluminescence; Czochralski method; Palladium; Excited states; RF systems; Transmittance; Heat treatments; Monocrystals; Absorption band; Growth mechanism; Cerium additions; Nanostructured materials; Borates; Crystal growth from melts
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2010.10.189

Single crystals of undoped and Ce3+-doped Ca3(BO3)2 (CBO) are grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method with an RF heating system. Undoped CBO crystal has high transmittance in the 190–900nm wavelength range, while the absorption bands were observed around 275 and 350nm due to the transition from the 4f ground state levels of 2F5/2 and 2F7/2 to Ce3+ 5d excited state in Ce3+-doped one. The photoluminescence spectrum of Ce3+-doped CBO crystal showed strong emission band around 400nm under both 275 and 350nm excitation due to the 5d–4f transition of Ce3+. In the measurement of pulse height spectra under 241Am 5.5MeV α-ray excitation, Ce3+-doped CBO showed higher energy resolution compared with that of crystal grown by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method.