Sub-nanosecond Luminescence of Barium Fluoride: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

The problem of obtaining BaF2 crystals with a predominant sub-nanosecond luminescence component is considered. A detailed analysis of methods for suppressing the slow component of the crystal luminescence has been carried out. It was shown that the introduction of a number of dopants leads to the suppression of the slow component, but, as a rule, the intensity of the sub-nanosecond component decreases, and the transparency and radiation hardness of the crystal also deteriorate. The results of spectral and kinetic measurements of BaF2:Tm and BaF2:Sc crystals are presented. It is shown that the solution of the problem can be achieved by using an undoped BaF2 crystal in combination with a filter that suppresses the slow luminescence component.

Keywords

• barium fluoride
• core-valence luminescence
• ultrafast scintillators
• optical filters