Radioluminescence and scintillation results of horizontal gradient freeze grown aliovalently-doped CeBr3

Strengthening the crystal lattice of lanthanide halides, which are brittle, anisotropic, ionic crystals, may prove to increase the availability and ruggedness of these scintillators for room-temperature gamma-ray spectroscopy applications. Eight aliovalent dopants for CeBr3 were explored in an effort to find the optimal aliovalent strengthening agent. Eight dopants, CaBr2, SrBr2, BaBr2, ZrBr4, HfBr4, ZnBr2, CdBr2, and PbBr2, were explored at two levels of doping, 500 and 1000 ppm. From each ingot, samples were harvested for radioluminescence spectrum measurement and scintillation testing. Of the eight dopants explored, only BaBr2 and PbBr2 were found to clearly decrease total light yield. ZnBr2 and CdBr2 dopants both affected the radioluminescence emission spectrum very little as compared to undoped CeBr3. HfBr4- and ZnBr2-doped CeBr3 exhibited the highest light yields.