Three-Layered Composite Scintillator Based on the Epitaxial Structures of YAG and LuAG Garnets Doped with Ce 3+ and Sc 3+ Impurities

• Published in: Materials 2024-08, Vol.17 (16)
• Main Authors: Witkiewicz-Łukaszek, Sandra, Gorbenko, Vitalii, Zorenko, Tetiana, Pejchal, Jan, Mares, Jiri A, Kucerkova, Romana, Beitlerova, Alena, Nikl, Martin, Sidletskiy, Oleg, Winiecki, Janusz, D'Ambrosio, Carmelo, Zorenko, Yuriy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944

In this study, we propose novel three-layer composite scintillators designed for the simultaneous detection of different ionizing radiation components. These scintillators are based on epitaxial structures of LuAG and YAG garnets, doped with Ce and Sc ions. Samples of these composite scintillators, containing YAG:Ce and LuAG:Ce single crystalline films with different thicknesses and LuAG:Sc single crystal substrates, were grown using the liquid phase epitaxy method from melt solutions based on PbO-B O fluxes. The scintillation properties of the proposed composites, YAG:Ce film/LuAG:Sc film/LuAG:Ce crystal and YAG:Ce film/LuAG:Ce film/LuAG:Sc crystal, were investigated under excitation by radiation with α-particles from a Pu source, β-particles from Sr sources and γ-rays from a Cs source. Considering the properties of the mentioned composite scintillators, special attention was paid to the ability of simultaneous separation of the different components of mixed ionizing radiation containing the mentioned particles and quanta using scintillation decay kinetics. The differences in scintillation decay curves under α- and β-particle and γ-ray excitations were characterized using figure of merit (FOM) values at various scintillation decay intensity levels (1/e, 0.1, 0.05, 0.01).