Growth of Eu:SrI2 bulk crystals and their scintillation properties

Eu doped SrI2 [Eu:SrI2] bulk single crystals with 1 in. diameter were grown using a special-shaped carbon crucible and a modified micro-pulling-down furnace and their scintillation properties were investigated. As-grown Eu:SrI2 bulk crystals indicated high transparency while they included several cracks in the crystals. Grown crystals indicated a single phase of SrI2 structure in the powder X-ray diffraction measurement. In the X-ray radioluminescence spectrum, there was a sharp emission peak around 435 nm which originated from 5d-4f transition of Eu2+ ion. Light yields of Eu5% and 7.5%:SrI2 crystals under γ-ray irradiation from 137Cs radiation source were 83,000 and 85,000 ph/MeV, respectively. Their decay times under γ-ray irradiation were approximately 2 μs.