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Growth of Ce:Li6Lu(BO3)3 Single Crystals for Neutron Detection

Shangke Pan ,  Dandan Sun ,  Guohao Ren 

Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai 200050, China

Abstract

Inorganic scintillation crystals are usually widely used in the detection of X- or gamma ray radiation. Recently, the interest in the detection of the thermal neutron has been increasing for the increasing need for neutron detectors in the fields of national security system and neutron scattering equipment, such as radiation portal monitors and spallation neutron sources. The neutron detection crystals of Eu:LiI and Ce:Cs2LiYCl6 can been obtained from the market. But they are very expensive for the sensitivity to water gas and the strictly control of the 6Li isotopes. So crystals containing B elements may be promising cheap scintillators for neutron detection. Recently, we investigated the growth techniques of Li6Lu(BO3)3 crystals and grew its single crystal by Czochralski technique.

  The single crystal of Ce:Li6Lu(BO3)3 with the diameter of about 30 mm (Fig 1) has been grown with the Czochraski technique under N2 atmosphere. The effects of pulling rate on the crystal shape have been investigated.

The light yields of Ce:Li6Lu(BO3)3 crystal excited by X-ray, gamma ray and α particles are comparable with Ce:Li6Gd(BO3)3 crystal, which means that Ce:Li6Lu(BO3)3 is a new promising neutron detection scintillation crystal for the 10B(n,α) 7Li reaction.

Fig 1. As-grown crystal of Ce:Li6Lu(BO3)3 grown by the Czochralski technique

References:

[1] Chaminade J P, Viraphong O, Guillen F, et al. Crystal growth and optical properties of new neutron detectors Ce 3+:Li6R(BO3)3 (R=Gd,Y)[J]. 2001, - 48(- 4): 1161.

[2] Pan S, Yang F, Ding D, et al. Czochralski Growth of Ce3+-doped Li6Gd(BO3)3 Single Crystals[J]. Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on. 2010, 57(3): 1300-1303.

[3] Yang F, Pan S K, Ding D Z, et al. Crystal growth and luminescent properties of the Ce-doped Li6Lu(BO3)3[J]. Journal of Crystal Growth. 2010, 312(16-17): 2411-2414.

* Corresponding author: E-mail address: [email protected]. This work was supported by National Natural Science foundation of China (No. 51272263).

 

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Presentation: Oral at 17th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy - ICCGE-17, General Session 2, by Shangke Pan
See On-line Journal of 17th International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy - ICCGE-17

Submitted: 2013-04-10 05:04
Revised:   2013-07-16 13:37