The influences of stoichiometry on the sintering behavior, optical and scintillation properties of Pr:LuAG ceramics

Sintering aids may enter the host lattice, create defects, and seriously deteriorate the scintillation properties of ceramic scintillators. In this study, the 0.3at%Pr:LuAG ceramics with different excess of Lu were fabricated by the solid-state reactive sintering without aids. The influences of stoichiometry on the sintering behaviors, optical and scintillation properties of the ceramics are systematically studied. The results show that the stoichiometric ceramics experience an abnormal grain growth during sintering. The Lu excess can restrain the abnormal grain growth of the ceramics because of the impurity drag effect. The excess Al2O3 as optical scattering centers, can also pin in the grain boundary to limit the fast migration of the grain boundaries. The light yield value of the as-sintered ceramics decreases with the increase of Lu content. After air-annealing, the ceramics with appropriate excess of Lu can achieve better optical quality and higher light yield compared to the stoichiometric Pr:LuAG ceramics.