Scintillation and optical properties of Ce-doped YAGG transparent ceramics

We investigated photoluminescence (PL) and scintillation properties of Ce3+-doped Y3Al2Ga3O12 (Ce:YAGG) transparent ceramics synthesized by vacuum sintering with different Ce3+ concentrations (mol.%) from 0.3% to 1% (0.3%Ce:YAGG, 0.5%Ce:YAGG, 0.8%Ce:YAGG and 1%Ce:YAGG). The samples were synthesized by the vacuum sintering technique. The obtained samples showed a very strong and broad PL emission by the 5d1-4f transition of Ce3+ in the wavelength range from 470 to 600 nm. The PL decay profiles were approximated by a single exponential decay function with the time constants of around 33–39 ns. Furthermore, the scintillation spectra induced by X-rays showed similar features with those observed in PL. The scintillation decay time profiles followed a second-order exponential decay function. The fast component group (ranged 35–42 ns) were dominantly contributed by the 5d1-4f transition of Ce3+. The pulse height spectra utilizing the latter emissions showed a clear photoabsorption peak. Among those samples tested, 0.5%Ce:YAGG sample showed the highest scintillation light yield of 21,400 ph/MeV under 137Cs γ-ray irradiation.

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