Optical Photon Propagation Characteristics and Thickness Optimization of LaCl3:Ce and LaBr3:Ce Crystal Scintillators for Nuclear Medicine Imaging

Stavros Tseremoglou; Christos Michail; Ioannis Valais; Konstantinos Ninos; Athanasios Bakas; Ioannis Kandarakis; George Fountos; Nektarios Kalyvas

doi:10.3390/cryst14010024

Crystals (Dec 2023)

Optical Photon Propagation Characteristics and Thickness Optimization of LaCl3:Ce and LaBr3:Ce Crystal Scintillators for Nuclear Medicine Imaging

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

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14010024
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 1
p. 24

Abstract

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The present study focuses on the determination of the optimal crystal thickness of LaCl3:Ce and LaBr3:Ce crystal scintillators for Nuclear Medicine Imaging applications. A theoretical model was applied for the estimation of the optical efficiency of the two single-crystal scintillators in terms of Detector Optical Gain (DOG). The theoretical model was validated against the experimental values of the Absolute Efficiency (AE) of the two crystals, obtained in the energy range 110 kVp–140 kVp. By fitting the theoretical model to these experimental data, the propagation probability per elementary thickness k was determined and DOG was theoretically calculated for crystal thicknesses from 0.005 cm to 2 cm, in the energy range of Nuclear Medicine Imaging. k values for LaCl3:Ce and LaBr3:Ce crystals were significantly higher compared to other single-crystal scintillators. The DOG values of the two crystals may serve as evidence that the LaBr3:Ce crystal exhibits significantly better performance compared to the LaCl3:Ce crystal. With an increase in energy, the optimum thickness increases for both crystals. Additionally, crystal efficiency generally demonstrates a decrease beyond a certain thickness. The aforementioned insights may provide valuable guidance for the design and optimization of crystal scintillators in Nuclear Medicine Imaging systems.

Published in Crystals

ISSN: 2073-4352 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Crystallography
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/crystals/

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