The study of α/γ ratio for inorganic scintillation detectors

To optimize characteristics of α-radiation detectors as well as those intended to stabilize γ spectrometers, the α/γ ratio has been studied for inorganic scintillation detectors within a wide temperature range (from −20 to +80°C) and at various signal formation time values (from 0.2 to 20 μs). Inorganic scintillators with high atomic numbers have been studied, namely, alkali halide and oxide crystals as well as a semiconducting single-crystal ZnSe(Te). Though the scintillators on the base of the oxide materials have satisfactory resolution and light output, they cannot be considered as efficient detectors of α-radiation due to a low α/γ ratio (∼0.20). The most appropriate detector of α-radiation remains single crystalline CsI(Tl) having the best scintillation characteristics, nonhygroscopic, convenient to use and comparatively cheap.