Novel Scintillation Material - ZnO Transparent Ceramics

TL;DR

This study investigates ZnO-based transparent ceramics for scintillation applications, analyzing their optical and scintillation properties, and identifies their potential for particle detection and analysis.

Contribution

The paper introduces new ZnO ceramic samples doped with gallium and lithium, and provides detailed characterization of their scintillation properties for the first time.

Findings

ZnO ceramics have up to 60% transparency in visible range.

ZnO:Ga ceramics exhibit ultra-fast decay time of 1 ns.

ZnO:Li ceramics show improved decay time and good performance under alpha excitation.

Abstract

ZnO-based scintillation ceramics for application in HENPA LENPA analyzers have been investigated. The following ceramic samples have been prepared: undoped ones (ZnO), an excess of zinc in stoichiometry (ZnO:Zn), doped with gallium (ZnO:Ga) and lithium (ZnO:Li). Optical transmission, x-ray excited emission, scintillation decay and pulse height spectra were measured and analyzed. Ceramics have reasonable transparency in visible range (up to 60% for 0.4 mm thickness) and energy resolution (14.9% at 662 keV Cs137 gamma excitation). Undoped ZnO shows slow (1.6 {\mu}s) luminescence with maximum at 2.37 eV and light yield about 57% of CsI:Tl. ZnO:Ga ceramics show relatively low light yield with ultra fast decay time (1 ns). Lithium doped ceramics ZnO:Li have better decay time than undoped ZnO with fair light yield. ZnO:Li ceramics show good characteristics under alpha-particle excitation and can be applied for the neutral particle analyzers.