Prototype fabrication of optical-guiding Tl:CsI crystal scintillators and investigation of the crystallization process

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics 2023-04, Vol.62 (SC), p.SC1064
• Main Authors: Yajima, Ryuga, Kamada, Kei, Murakami, Rikito, Kutsuzawa, Naoko, Sasaki, Rei, Yoshino, Masao, Horiai, Takahiko, Kim, Kyoung Jin, Kochurikhin, Vladimir. V., Yamaji, Akihiro, Kurosawa, Shunsuke, Yokota, Yuui, Sato, Hiroki, Toyoda, Satoshi, Ohashi, Yuji, Hanada, Takashi, Yoshikawa, Akira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Borosilicate glass; Cladding; crystal growth; Crystallization; halide crystal; Image resolution; inorganic scintillator; Melting points; optical-guiding; radiation detection; radiation imaging; Scintillation counters; Sensitivity; Single crystals; Softening points
• ISSN: 0021-4922; 1347-4065
• DOI: 10.35848/1347-4065/acb3d1

In this study, optical-guiding crystal scintillator (OCS) and bundled plates were fabricated. Considering the performance and melting point of halide scintillators and the softening point of glass, Tl:CsI was selected as the fiber core and borosilicate glass as the cladding. Thus, the fabricated OCS had a scintillator in the core and glass in the cladding. The scintillator was remelted and unidirectionally solidified to remove the voids in the OCS and form a single crystal. Consequently, the OCS served as a scintillator fiber with excellent optical-guiding performance and high sensitivity to γ - and X-rays. An OCS plate was also fabricated using bundles of OCSs with diameters of several tens of microns. The developed OCS plate is expected to be a high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging plate because of its excellent optical-guiding performance.