Abstract
The high-performance inorganic scintillator, SrI2:Eu2+, when activated with divalent europium in the concentration range of 3 to 6%, has shown great promise for use in applications that require high-energy-resolution gamma-ray detection. We have recently grown and tested crystals in which other alkaline-earth ions have been partially substituted for Sr ions. Specifically, europium-doped single crystals have been grown in which up to 30 at % of the strontium ions have been substituted for either by barium, magnesium, or calcium ions. In the case of the strontium iodide scintillator host, a material that is characterized by an orthorhombic crystal structure, there are three other column IIA elements that are obvious choices for investigations whose purpose is to realize potential improvements in the performance of SrI2:Eu2+-based scintillators via the replacement of strontium ions with either Mg2+, Ca2+, or Ba2+. Light yields of up to 81,400 photons/MeV with an associated energy resolution of 3.7% (fwhm for 662 keV gamma-rays) have been observed in the case of a partial substitution of Ba2+ for Sr2+. The measured decay times ranged from 1.1 to 2.0 μs, while the peak emission wavelengths ranged from 432 to 438 nm.
