Scintillation and dosimeter properties of CaF2 translucent ceramic produced by SPS

We have developed CaF2 translucent ceramics by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and investigated the scintillation and dosimeter properties, in comparison with a CaF2 single crystal. Under X-ray irradiation, light emission was observed at 270 and 300 nm, due to self-trapped exciton (STE). The scintillation light yield of CaF2 translucent ceramic was measured to be about 6000 photons/MeV under 137Cs irradiation, and this value was smaller than that of the single crystal by a factor of approximately 2. The afterglow level, after X-ray irradiation, of the ceramic sample was lower than that of the single crystal. Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) glow peaks were observed at 100 and 150 °C in both ceramic and single crystal samples, however the TSL intensity was much stronger than that of the single crystal sample.