Optical, scintillation and thermally stimulated luminescence properties of Sc2Si2O7:Ce single crystal grown by floating zone method

Single crystal of the Sc2Si2O7:Ce (SPS:Ce) was grown by floating zone method. The crystal structure is confirmed to be thortveitite with space group C2/m by X-ray diffraction measurement. The vacuum ultra violet (VUV), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, fluorescence decay time and X-ray excited luminescence spectra were studied. Five sublevels of Ce3+ 5d level are observed through the VUV PLE spectra. The PL is dominated by the fast Ce3+ 5d14f0–5d04f1 transition peaking at 386 nm with a single exponential decay of 33 ns. The traps in SPS:Ce were also studied through the thermally stimulated luminescence measurement. A trap with level depth 1.16 eV with a kinetics order of 1.52 is found in the SPS:Ce crystal.

► Single crystal of Sc2Si2O7:Ce was firstly obtained through floating zone method.
► Sc2Si2O7:Ce shows a relative low luminescence efficiency of about 5750 photons/MeV.
► The emission of Sc2Si2O7:Ce presents a 33 ns single exponential decay.
► The energy depth of the main charge trap in Sc2Si2O7:Ce is about 1.16 eV.