Efficiency Properties of Cerium-Doped Lanthanum Chloride (LaCl<sub>3</sub>:Ce) Single Crystal Scintillator under Radiographic X-ray Excitation
Stavros Tseremoglou,
Christos Michail,
Ioannis Valais,
Konstantinos Ninos,
Athanasios Bakas,
Ioannis Kandarakis,
George Fountos,
Nektarios Kalyvas
Affiliations
Stavros Tseremoglou
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Christos Michail
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Ioannis Valais
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Konstantinos Ninos
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Athanasios Bakas
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Ioannis Kandarakis
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
George Fountos
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
Nektarios Kalyvas
Radiation Physics, Materials Technology and Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos, 12210 Athens, Greece
The aim of this study is to evaluate the suitability of crystalline scintillator LaCl3:Ce for possible use in hybrid medical imaging systems, such as PET/CT and SPECT/CT scanners. For this purpose, a single crystal (10 × 10 × 10 mm3) was irradiated by X-rays within the tube voltage range from 50 to 150 kVp, and the absolute efficiency (AE) was measured experimentally. The energy absorption efficiency (EAE), quantum detection efficiency (QDE), and the spectral compatibility with various optical detectors were also calculated with the use of mathematical formulas. The results were compared with published data for Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO), Lu2SiO5:Ce (LSO), and CdWO4 single crystals of equal dimensions, commonly used in medical imaging applications. The luminescence efficiency values of the examined crystal were found to be higher than those of LSO, BGO, and CdWO4 crystals, within the whole X-ray tube voltage range. In the matter of EAE, LaCl3:Ce demonstrated reduced performance with respect to LSO and CdWO4 crystals. The emission spectrum of LaCl3:Ce was found to be compatible with various types of photocathodes and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Considering these properties, LaCl3:Ce crystal could be considered suitable for use in hybrid medical imaging systems.
