Crystal growth and structural characterizations of Ce-doped Gd9.33(SiO4)6O2 single crystals

A new type of scintillator crystal, Ce-doped Gd9.33(SiO4)6O2 (Ce:GSAP), was grown by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. Single-crystal structural analysis coupled with X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis clearly implied the preference of Ce3+ at the 6h site in the Ce:GSAP structure. The X-ray excited luminescence spectra showed a peak around 410 nm originating from the Ce3+ 5d–4f transition. The corresponding decay time estimated was about 25 ns.