Abstract
Nd3+ -doped Lu2O3 (Nd: Lu 2O3) is a candidate for an infrared scintillator because (i) Lu2O3 has a high density of 9.5g/cm3 and a high atomic number of 67 and (ii) Nd3+-doped materials emit in the infrared range and the emission lines from Nd3+ can be used in medical applications since human body has a transparency window between 600 and 1,100 nm. However, it is extremely difficult to fabricate Lu2O 3 single crystals using conventional crystal growth methods because of the high melting point (2,510 °C). Using solid-state reactions, it is much easier to fabricate Lu2O3 into a ceramic structure. Therefore, Nd: Lu2O3 transparent ceramics were fabricated using a spark plasma sintering method. This technique is comparatively simple and consumes less time than other methods such as vacuum hot pressing. The scintillation properties and transmittance spectra of the as-produced ceramics were studied in both the visible and infrared regions. Radioluminescence spectra were measured in the range 800-1,200 nm. Nd3+ emission lines were observed in the transparency window of human body. Thus, these ceramic materials could be a candidate for medical imaging applications.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 6704851 |
Pages (from-to) | 316-319 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science |
Volume | 61 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 Feb |
Keywords
- Ceramics scintillators
- Infrared emission
- Scintillation counters
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering