Optical and Structural Properties of Pb and Ce Doped ${\hbox {SrHfO}}_{3}$ Powders

We bring into consideration a novel, potentially promising scintillating material, Pb-doped SrHfO₃. The structural and optical properties of a series of Pb-doped SrHfO₃ powders prepared by acetate and citrate combustion are investigated and compared to those of undoped and Ce-doped powders with the same composition. Room temperature radioluminescence studies as a function of sintering temperature show that samples sintered up to the highest final temperature (1150°C) display the highest light output. Moreover, Pb-doped SrHfO₃ shows a higher radioluminescence efficiency with respect to Ce-doped SrHfO₃, which in turn features a very fast photoluminescence decay time of 15 ns. The presence of point defects and their role in carrier trapping are studied by thermally stimulated luminescence as well as by radioluminescence as a function of temperature.