Scintillation properties of Pr-doped Lu2Si2O7 single crystal.

Pr doped Lutetium pyrosilicate Lu 2 Si 2 O 7 (LPS) single crystals were synthesized by the floating zone method with different Pr concentration from 0.1% to 2.0%. After the confirmation of the phase by powder XRD patterns, optical and scintillation properties were investigated. When we observed photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra, emission due to 5d-4f transition of Pr3+ appeared in all the samples at wavelength of 300–340 nm, and PL decay times were similar around 9–11 ns in all the samples. In scintillation properties, under the X-ray excitation, all the samples had the same scintillation emission spectral shape with different emission intensities, and scintillation decay times were around 18–21 ns. Under 137Cs γ-rays irradiation, the 1.0% Pr doped sample showed the highest scintillation light yield among the present samples, and the value was 9700 ph/MeV. Furthermore, linearity as a function of γ-ray energy was observed. • We successfully synthesized LPS single crystals with Pr doping concentration of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, and 2 % by the FZ method. • All of the samples have scintillation decay time around 18–21 ns. • When excited by 662 keV γ-ray, 1.0 % Pr doped LPS have scintillation light yield up to 9700 ph/MeV. • The optimal Pr doping concentration in the LPS single crystal for the scintillation purpose was determined to be around 1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]