Photoluminescence, photo-stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence properties of CaB2O4 crystals activated with Ce3+

•PL, PSL, and TL properties of a Ce3+-doped CaB2O4 crystal were studied.•A PL emission band in the 350–370 nm was obtained under excitation at 325 nm.•The QE and the decay time of Ce3+ were estimated to be about 70% and 29 ns.•Good linear TL and PSL responses were observed in the 1–10,000 mGy X-ray dose range.

Photoluminescence (PL), photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL), and thermoluminescence (TL) properties of a Ce-doped CaB2O4 crystal were studied. The Ce-doped crystal was prepared by the simple solidification method using a Pt crucible under nitrogen atmosphere. A PL emission band in the 350–370 nm wavelength range was obtained under excitation at 325 nm owing to the 5d (t2g)–4f (2F5/2, 2F7/2)-allowed transition of the Ce3+ emission center. The fluorescence quantum efficiency and the decay time of Ce3+ were estimated to be about 70% and 29 ns, respectively. The 5d–4f emission band of Ce3+ also appeared in the 350–370 nm wavelength range in the TL and PSL spectra. Good linear TL and PSL responses were observed in the 1–1000 mGy and 1–10,000 mGy X-ray dose range, respectively.