Method of forming rare earth oxide ceramic scintillator with ammonium dispersion of oxalate precipitates
First Claim
1. A method of forming a polycrystalline rare earth oxide ceramic scintillator containing an oxide of a rare earth activator selected from the group consisting of europium, neodymium, ytterbium, dysprosium, terbium and praseodymium, having improved transparency that does not require milling, said scintillator being formed by dissolving a mixture of oxides of the scintillator composition in an aqueous hydrochloric or nitric acid solution to form a rare earth solution, precipitating oxalates from the rare earth solution, calcining the oxalates to form oxides, cold pressing the oxides to form a compact, and sintering the compact in a reducing atmosphere or vacuum to form the scintillator, the improvement comprising:
- precipitating the oxalates by admixing the rare earth solution with an oxalic solution comprised of, oxalic acid and ammonium ions in an amount that disperses the oxalate precipitates.
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Abstract
A method of forming polycrystalline rare earth oxide ceramic scintillators formed by dissolving a mixture of oxides of the scintillator in an aqueous hydrochloric or nitric acid solution to form a rare earth solution, precipitating oxalates from the rare earth solution, calcining the oxalates to form the respective oxides, cold pressing the oxides to form a compact, and sintering the compact in a reducing atmosphere or vacuum to form the scintillator, the method being improved by precipitating the oxalates by admixing the rare earth solution with an oxalic solution comprised of, oxalic acid and ammonium ions in an amount that disperses the oxalate precipitates.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of forming a polycrystalline rare earth oxide ceramic scintillator containing an oxide of a rare earth activator selected from the group consisting of europium, neodymium, ytterbium, dysprosium, terbium and praseodymium, having improved transparency that does not require milling, said scintillator being formed by dissolving a mixture of oxides of the scintillator composition in an aqueous hydrochloric or nitric acid solution to form a rare earth solution, precipitating oxalates from the rare earth solution, calcining the oxalates to form oxides, cold pressing the oxides to form a compact, and sintering the compact in a reducing atmosphere or vacuum to form the scintillator, the improvement comprising:
precipitating the oxalates by admixing the rare earth solution with an oxalic solution comprised of, oxalic acid and ammonium ions in an amount that disperses the oxalate precipitates. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of forming a polycrystalline yttria-dolinia scintillator having improved transparency that does not require milling said scintillator being formed by dissolving a mixture of oxides of the scintillator composition in an aqueous hydrochloric or nitric acid solution to form a rare earth solution, precipitating oxalates from the rare earth solution, calcining the oxalates to form oxides, cold pressing the oxides to form a compact, and sintering the compact in a reducing atmosphere or vacuum to form the scintillator, the improvement comprising:
precipitating the oxalates by admixing the rare earth solution with an oxalic solution comprised of, oxalic acid and ammonium ions in an amount that disperses the oxalate precipitates. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of forming a polycrystalline lutetia-gadolinia scintillator having improved transparency that does not require milling said scintillator being formed by dissolving a mixture of oxides of the scintillator composition in an aqueous hydrochloric or nitric acid solution to form a rare earth solution, precipitating oxalates from the rare earth solution, calcining the oxalates to form oxides, cold pressing the oxides to form a compact, and sintering the compact in a reducing atmosphere or vacuum to form the scintillator, the improvement comprising:
precipitating the oxalates by admixing the rare earth solution with an oxalic solution comprised of, oxalic acid and ammonium ions in an amount that disperses the oxalate precipitates. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Specification