Luminescence and scintillation properties of BaF2Ce transparent ceramic

Cerium doped Barium Fluoride (BaF2Ce) transparent ceramic was fabricated and its luminescence and scintillation properties were studied. The photoluminescence shows the emission peaks at 310 nm and 323 nm and is related to the 5d-4f transitions in Ce3+ ion. Photo peak at 511 keV and 1274 keV were obtained with BaF2Ce transparent ceramic for Na-22 radioisotopes. Energy resolution of 13.5% at 662 keV is calculated for the BaF2Ce transparent ceramic. Light yield of 5100 photons/MeV was recorded for BaF2Ce(0.2%) ceramic and is comparable to its single crystal counterpart. Scintillation decay time measurements shows fast component of 58 ns and a relatively slow component of 434 ns under 662 keV gamma excitation. The slower component in BaF2Ce(0.2%) ceramic is about 200 ns faster than the STE emission in BaF2 host and is associated with the dipole-dipole energy transfer from the host matrix to Ce3+ luminescence center.