Luminescence characteristics of gadolinium-calcium-silicoborate glass scintillators

Abstract

Backgroud: The research aimed to study the investigate properties of glass having increasing compositions of (55-x) B2O3: 25Gd2O3: 10SiO2: 10CaO: xA2O3 where A2O3 are Sm2O3, Eu2O3 and Dy2O3 and x=0.05 to 0.50 mol%. X-ray luminescence properties of these glass samples using a BGO crystal were then compared. Materials and methods: Glasses were prepared by conventional melt quenching technique. Density, optical properties and x-ray scintillation properties were studied and compared. Results: The was found that density of glass increased with increasing dopant concentration. Eleven absorption bands of Sm2O3 were observed from the 6H15/2 ground state to 360 (4D3/2), 373 (6P7/2), 403 (6P3/2), 475 (4I11/2), 944 (6F11/2), 1077 (6F9/2), 1225 (6F7/2), 1368 (6F5/2), 1468 (6F3/2), 1520 (6H15/2) and 1586 (6F1/2) nm. Two absorption bands of Eu2O3 were observed from the 7F0 ground state to 2100 (7F1) and 2203 (7F6) nm. Nine absorption bands of Dy2O3 were observed to transitions from the 6H15/2 ground state to 387 (4I13/2+4F7/2+4M21/2+4K17/2), 426 (4G11/2), 455 (4I15/2), 751 (6F3/2), 805 (6F5/2), 898 (6F7/2), 1085 (6H7/2 + 6F9/2), 1261 (6F11/2 + 6H9/2 ) and 1672 (6H11/2) nm. The comparisons done on x-ray luminescence properties between glass samples with BGO scintillator crystal determined that glass doped with 0.35 mol% Sm2O3 have four relatively strong emission peaks. Glass doped with 0.35 mol% of Eu2O3 have six relatively strong emission peaks. Glass doped with 0.45 mol% of Dy2O3 have four relatively strong emission peaks. Conclusion: The comparisons done on x-ray luminescence properties between glass samples with the BGO scintillator crystal determined that the scintillation efficiency of glass samples doped with Sm2O3, Eu2O3 and Dy2O3 was 25% that of commercial BGO scintillator crystals.

Keywords

• Glass
• luminescence
• scintillator
• BGO
• dopant