Approaching the Theoretical Light Yield Limit in CsI (Tl) Scintillator Single Crystals by a Low-Temperature Solution Method
Wenzhen Wang, Huanzhen Qi, Fengcai Liu, Hua Meng, Cai Jiang, Shanhu Xu, Shengqi Jing, Feng Hong, Yanyan Zhu, Haitao Xu, Run Xu, Jianming Lai, Fei Xu, Linjun Wang
Abstract
A nonvacuum solution-based growth process featuring an inverse temperature crystallization was demonstrated to grow high light yield halide scintillator single crystals. The as-grown Tl-doped cesium iodide, CsI(Tl), single crystals exhibit high transparency and characteristic Tl-doped photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence spectra with a decay time of about 535 ns at 550 nm emission peak. The CsI(Tl) scintillator with a low Tl doping concentration of 146.7 ppm grown by the solvent-based growth method exhibits a high light yield of 119 000 ± 6000 photons/MeV, which is about 1.3 times higher than those grown by the conventional melting method with a higher Tl concentration. This simple and convenient process may present a promising low-cost method for the mass production development of halide scintillator single crystals.