Crystal Growth and Scintillation Properties of ${\hbox {Cs}}_{2}{\hbox {NaCeBr}}_{6}$

In this paper crystal growth, luminescence and scintillation properties of Cs₂NaCeBr₆ crystal are presented. The studied Cs₂NaCeBr₆ crystal was grown by the Bridgman method using a two-zone vertical transparent furnace. The material was synthesized using the reaction 2CsBr + NaBr + CeBr₃ → Cs₂NaCeBr₆. Under UV excitation the emission of crystal was observed in the range of 300 to 450 nm with two peaks at 377 and 400 nm. The emission is due to the 5d → 4f transitions on Ce³⁺. The energy resolution of the crystal measured under 662 keV was 6.7%. The scintillation decay time showed two components characterized by 140 ns and 880 ns time constants. The light yield of the crystal was estimated to be 25,000 photons/MeV.