The scintillation properties of CeBr3−xClx single crystals

We present a study of mixed halide single crystal scintillators with the general formula CeBr3−xClx, where 0≤x≤3. Single crystals with various bromine-chlorine ratios were grown by the Bridgman method, and their scintillation properties were investigated. Under X-ray irradiation, the peak emission ranged between 350 and 450 nm. The absolute light yield ranged between 44,000 and 60,000 photons/MeV under 137Cs gamma-ray irradiation. The energy resolution at 662 keV was between 4.6% and 5.0%. The major scintillation decay time was less than 17 ns, and slightly increased with higher chlorine to bromide ratio. The X-ray diffraction indicated that the lattice constants decreased with higher chlorine content. A moisture absorption study showed that higher chlorine content can greatly decrease the hygroscopicity.