Inorganic scintillating material, crystal scintillator and radiation detector

• US 8,629,403 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Research And Production Enterprise "Radiko", LLC
• Original Assignee: Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoy Otvetstvennostyu "Scintillyatsionnye Tekhnologii Radiatsionnogo Kontrolya"
• Inventors: Vyprintsev, Dmitry Ivanovich
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malevic, Djura
• Application Number:
  US13/578,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20120305779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 250/361.R, 250/370.11
• US Class Current: 250/361.R
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 17/253 Halides
• CPC Class Codes: C01F 17/271 Chlorides
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/52 containing elements as dopants
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/54 one element only
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/85 by XPS, EDX or EDAX data
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/7772 Halogenides C09K11/7767 takes precedence
• 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 29/12 Halides

Abstract

A new inorganic scintillating material is provided represented by the formula Ln_(1-m-n)Hf_nCe_mA_(3+n), where A is Br or Cl, or I, or a mixture of at least two halogens of the group, Ln is an element from the group: La, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Lu, Y. A new crystal scintillator is also provided represented by the formula Ln_(1-m)Ce_mA₃:n.Hf⁴⁺, where Ln_(1-m)Ce_mA₃ represents the chemical composition of the matrix material, A is Br, or Cl, or I, or a mixture of at least two halogens from the group, Ln is an element from the group: La, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Lu, Y; Hf⁴⁺ is a dopant. A radiation detector comprising a scintillating element based on the novel inorganic scintillating material is also provided.

Claims

1. Inorganic halide-type scintillating material of formula

Ln_(1-m-n)Hf_nCe_mA_(3+n),

wherein A is either Br or Cl, or I, or a mixture of at least two halogens of the group,

Ln is an element from the group:

La, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Lu, Y,

m is the molar level of substitution of Ln by cerium,

n is the molar level of substitution of Ln by hafnium,

m and n are numerical values greater than 0 and less than 1,

the sum (m+n) is less than 1.

2. The material of claim 1, wherein m is greater than or equal to 0.0005 and less than or equal to 0.3.

3. The material of claim 1, wherein n is greater than or equal to 0.0005 and less than or equal to 0.015.

4. The material of claim 1, wherein Ln is lanthanum (La).

5. The material of claim 4, wherein A is bromine (Br).

6. The material of claim 5, wherein m is preferably greater than or equal to 0.005 and less than or equal to 0.1.

7. The material of claim 6, wherein n is preferably greater than or equal to 0.002 and less than or equal to 0.01.

8. The material of claim 1, wherein the material is a single crystal.

9. The material of claim 8, wherein the volume of the single crystal is at least 10 mm³.

10. The material of claim 1, wherein it is in the form of a powder.

11. The material of claim 1, wherein it is either packed or sintered or mixed with a binder.

19. A radiation detector comprising a scintillating element based on inorganic scintillating material of claim 1 and a photo-detector coupled to the scintillating element and doing the job of forming electrical signals in response to the light pulses produced by the scintillating element.

20. The radiation detector of claim 19, wherein the scintillating element is based on a single crystal.

21. The radiation detector of claim 20, wherein the volume of the single crystal is at least 10 mm³.

22. The radiation detector of claim 19, wherein the scintillating element is made based on the scintillating material in the form of a powder (e.g. polycrystalline).

23. The radiation detector of claim 19, wherein the scintillating element is made based on a previously compacted scintillating material which is either packed or sintered or mixed with a binder.

24. The radiation detector of claim 19, wherein the photo-detector is either a photomultiplier or a photodiode.

12. Crystal scintillator represented by the formula

Ln_(1-m)Ce_mA₃:

n-Hf⁴⁺

wherein Ln_(1-m)Ce_mA₃ represents the chemical composition of the matrix material,

A is either Br or Cl, or I, or a mixture of at least two halogens of the group, Ln is an element from the group;

La, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Lu, Y,

Hf⁴⁺ is a dopant,

m is a numerical value greater than 0 and less than or equal to 0.3,

n is the Hf⁴⁺ dopant content (mol %), preferably 0.05 mol %-1.5 mol %.

13. The crystal scintillator of claim 12, wherein Ln is lanthanum (La).

14. The crystal scintillator of claim 12, wherein A is bromine (Br).

15. The crystal scintillator of claim 12, which is a single crystal.

16. The crystal scintillator of claim 15, wherein Ln is lanthanum (La).

17. The crystal scintillator of claim 16, wherein A is bromine (Br).

18. The crystal scintillator of claim 17, wherein its volume is at least 10 mm³.