Perspectives for High Resolution and High Light Output LuAP:Ce Crystals.

After its introduction in 1994, LuAlO₃ :Ce (LuAP:Ce) encountered problems of 1) low light output, 2) self-absorption of scintillation light, 3) nonproportionality of light output versus energy, and 4) poor energy resolution, and 5) small non-uniform crystals. Studying newly available LuAP:Ce-doped and undoped crystals (from Photonic Materials), we have found that self-absorption is chiefly dependent on the host crystal structure and not on Ce doping. We examined the scintillation properties of these crystals and found 6.8 ± 0.3% energy resolution for 662 keV for 2 mm × 2 mm × 10 mm pixels. The intrinsic resolution is equal to 2.8 ± 0.4% at 2360 ± 120 phe/MeV (9800 ± 500 ph/MeV) light yield. These crystals have nonproportionality of 93 ± 4% at 16 keV and intrinsic energy resolution close to that of YAP:Ce. Fast components of the scintillation comprise only about half of the light that is emitted in 100 microseconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]