Scintillation response of Y3Al5O12:Pr3+ single crystal scintillators

• Pr-concentration dependence of light yield in YAG:Pr crystals is studied.
• Concentration quenching is revealed in 4f–4f emission spectra and decays.
• Light yield of 15,600 ph/MeV & energy resolution of 6.4% @662 keV are evaluated.
• Photofraction in pulse height spectra of 320 and 662 keV γ-rays is determined.

In this paper we present the photoluminescence (PL) and scintillation response of Pr3+-doped Y3Al5O12 (YAG:Pr) single crystals grown by the Czochralski method with different Pr3+ concentrations of 0.16, 0.33, and 0.65 mol%. PL spectra and decay curves were measured for both the fast 5d → 4f and slow 4f → 4f emissions. The PL decay times were evaluated which evidence concentration quenching especially in 1D2 → 3H4 emission for the highest Pr3+ concentration. Light yield (LY) of 15,600 photons per MeV and energy resolution of 6.4% at 662 keV γ-rays were obtained with the YAG:Pr (0.33%) crystal. The LY non-proportionality and energy resolution versus γ-ray energy were measured and the intrinsic resolution was calculated. A good proportionality of the LY was found within 7% over the energy range from 1274.5 keV down to 32 keV. The estimated photofraction in the pulse height spectra of 320 and 662 keV γ-rays was also determined and compared with the theoretical one calculated using WinXCom program.