Crystal growth and optical properties of Gd1.99−xYxCe0.01SiO5 single crystals

Gd1.99−xYxCe0.01SiO5 (Ce:GYSO) crystals (x=0, 0.0995, 0.199) have been grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method. Crystal structure and the distribution coefficients of Ce have been determined for all three crystals. Spectroscopic measurements indicate that optical transmittance and luminescence intensity of Gd1.99−xYxCe0.01SiO5 (x=0.0995, 0.199) crystals are substantially higher than those of Ce:Gd2SiO5 (Ce:GSO), especially at x=0.0995, which makes them good candidate materials for scintillation applications. The particularly important result is that the alloyed Ce:GYSO crystals can be grown easily by the Cz method and, unlike Ce:GSO, they do not undergo cleavage during the growth process or subsequent mechanical treatment.