Scintillation solid and method of measuring radiation

• US 5,500,147 A
• Filed: 10/27/1992
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fitzpatrick, Brian J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lovering, Richard D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scalzo, Catherine Kilby
• Application Number:
  US07/966,946
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 252/301.4 R, 252/301.4 S, 252/301.6 R, 252/301.6 S
• US Class Current: 252/301.60S
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3284 Zinc oxides, zincates, cadmium oxides, cadmiates, mercury oxides, mercurates or oxide forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/407 Copper
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/547 based on sulfides or selenides or tellurides
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/584 with zinc or cadmium
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/00 Single-crystal growth by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient, e.g. Bridgman-Stockbarger method C30B13/00, C30B15/00, C30B17/00, C30B19/00 take precedence; under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 11/003 Heating or cooling of the melt or the crystallised material
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/48 AIIBVI compounds wherein A is Zn, Cd or Hg, and B is S, Se or Te

Abstract

A monolithic solid scintillation body with a monocrystalline or polycrystalline morphology having generally constant luminescence from about 25° C. to at least about 200° C. and average crystal domain grain diameters of at least about 5 millimeters and being composed of zinc sulfide doped with copper and a method of measuring radiation using the scintillation body and an apparatus for measuring radiation are disclosed.

Claims

1. A monolithic solid scintillation body with a monocrystalline or polycrystalline morphology having generally constant luminescence scintillation efficiency from about 25°

C. to at least about 200°

C. and average crystal domain grain diameters of at least about 5 millimeters and being composed of zinc sulfide doped with copper.

2. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the copper concentration is from about 0.3 parts per million based on the weight of the zinc sulfide to about 100 parts per million.

3. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the copper concentration is from about 0.6 parts per million based on the weight of the zinc sulfide to about 30 parts per million.

4. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the copper concentration is from about 0.6 parts per million based on the weight of the zinc sulfide to about 10 parts per million.

5. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the body has generally constant luminescence from about 25°

C. to at least about 220°

C.

6. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the body has a generally constant luminescence from about 25°

to about 260°

C.

7. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the body has a scintillation efficiency of at least 10%.

8. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the copper is uniformly distributed within each crystal domain grain.

9. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the body further includes an alloy of zinc sulfide with cadmium sulfide.

10. A scintillation body as defined by claim 1 wherein the scintillation efficiency of said body varies no more than about 3% over the temperature range from about 25°

C. to about 220°

C.

11. A method of measuring radiation comprising

a. subjecting a monolithic solid scintillation body with a monocrystalline or polycrystalline morphology having generally constant luminescence scintillation efficiency from about 25°

C. to at least about 200°

C. and average crystal domain grain diameters of at least about 5 millimeters and being composed of zinc sulfide doped with copper to incident radiation at an ambient temperature from about 25°

C. to at least about 200°

C. to thereby cause the emission of scintillation photons and

b. detecting said scintillation photons.

12. An apparatus for measuring radiation comprising

a. A monolithic solid scintillation body with a monocrystalline or polycrystalline morphology having generally constant luminescence scintillation efficiency from about 25°

C. to at least about 200°

C. and average crystal domain grain diameters of at least about 5 millimeters and being composed of zinc sulfide doped with copper and

b. a detector for detecting scintillation photons emitted by said scintillation body.