Performance of ZnSe-based scintillators at low temperatures

TL;DR

This study characterizes ZnSe-based scintillators doped with Al or Te at low temperatures, showing significant improvements in light yield and decay time below 100 K, which enhances their suitability for cryogenic radiation detection.

Contribution

The paper provides the first detailed low-temperature characterization of ZnSe scintillators doped with Al or Te, demonstrating improved performance metrics at cryogenic temperatures.

Findings

Light yield doubles below 100 K.

Decay time decreases to 0.3-0.4 microseconds.

Performance enhancement for cryogenic radiation detectors.

Abstract

Applications that utilize scintillation detectors at low temperatures are growing in number. Many of these require materials with high light yield and a fast response. Here we report on the low-temperature characterisation of ZnSe doped with Al or Te, respectively. The X-ray luminescence and decay curves were measured over the 77- 295 K temperature range, and alpha particle excitation was used to examine scintillation light output and decay kinetics over the range 9-295 K. A significant improvement of the scintillation characteristics was observed at cooling below 100 K. The scintillation light yield of the crystals increases by a factor about two, and the decay time constant decreases by almost an order of magnitude to 0.3-0.4 microsec. These improvements enhance the potential of ZnSe-based crystals for application in cryogenic scintillation detectors of ionising radiation.