Markus Berheide

Scintillation properties of single-crystal and ceramic GGAG(Ce) and ceramic GYGAG(Ce) at temperatures up to 200°C

Transparent ceramic scintillators of useful size and performance are a relatively recent development. Transparent ceramic oxide scintillators are being developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for gamma-ray spectrometers and high-energy radiographic imaging devices. One notable development is the cerium-doped gadolinium yttrium gallium aluminum garnet, (Gd, Y)3(Al, Ga)5O12(Ce) referred to as GYGAG(Ce). These ceramics have good stopping power and exhibit high light output and proportionality, resulting in excellent spectral resolution. These new materials are of interest for oilfield applications, which require fast scintillators with high stopping power and good spectroscopy performance and which can withstand the harsh well-logging environment (high shock levels and high temperature). The focus of this evaluation was on the characterization of the scintillation behavior as a function of temperature. Several samples were evaluated: one Gd3(Al, Ga)5O12(Ce), referred to as GAGG(Ce), single crystal from Furukawa, one GAGG(Ce) ceramic from LLNL, and four variations of GYGAG(Ce) ceramics from LLNL.