Czochralski growth and crystal structure of cerium-doped Lu_2Si_2O_7 scintillator

摘要

Cerium-doped lutetium pyrosilicate crystal, Ce:Lu_2Si_2O_7 (Ce:LPS), was grown by the Czochralski method. The segregation coefficient of Ce~(3+) ion was studied by the ICP-AES method. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the structure of Ce:LPS crystal was monoclinic symmetry with space group of C2/m. Perfect cleavage planes (110) and imperfect cleavage planes (001) were observed by optical microscope. The reasons why it is difficult to grow crack-free crystals were studied. After optimized growth parameters, a Ce:LPS crystal with dimension of PHI25 X 30 mm was grown, which is colorless, high optical quality, cracking-free and no inclusions. The transmittance of Ce:LPS crystal from 380 to 800 nm is over 82 percent and there is no observable absorption.