CERAMIC SCINTILLATORS

▪ Abstract Scintillators are the primary radiation sensor in many applications such as medical diagnostics, medical radiographs, and industrial component inspection. Some of the limitations in the properties of single-crystal scintillators are discussed for imaging applications, and the advantages of a new class of polycrystalline ceramic scintillators are described in detail. After the important scintillator properties of transparency, X-ray stopping power, light output, primary speed, luminescent afterglow, and radiation damage are described, the processing and performance of ceramic scintillators (Y,Gd) 2 O 3 :Eu,Pr; Gd 2 O 2 S:Pr,Ce,F; and Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 :Cr,Ce are discussed. Ceramic scintillator uses and trends are presented in light of issues related to their uses in advanced medical and industrial X-ray detectors for CT imaging applications. Finally, some of the challenges are given for successfully developing a polycrystalline ceramic scintillator for use in photon-counting applications.