LGSO:Ce scintillation crystal optimization by thermal treatment

• Optimization of the post-growth annealing regimes is performed for the full range of Lu2−xGdxSiO5:Ce scintillation crystals grown from melt by the Czochralski method.
• The heat treatment in air at 1100 °C provides the improvement in the LGSO:Ce energy resolution up to 6.7% at 662 keV.
• Higher temperatures and the longer durations of heat treatment in air are inappropriate, because the optimized conditions must provide decrease in oxygen vacancies concentration avoiding Ce4+ formation.

Impact of post-growth thermal treatment parameters (temperature, duration, atmosphere composition) on optical, luminescent, and scintillation characteristics of Lu2xGd2−2xSiO5:Ce LGSO:Ce has been analyzed. Absorption, X-ray luminescence spectra, thermostimulated luminescence curves, as well as light yield and energy resolution, have been measured before and after thermal treatment in different regimes. Scintillator optimization by thermal treatment allows to improve the energy resolution up to 6.7% at 662 keV.

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