Luminescence properties of Na3LuSi3O9:Ce3+ as a potential scintillator material

Abstract

Lutetium based oxyorthosilicate (Lu₂SiO₅:Ce³⁺/Lu_2−xY_xSiO₅:Ce³⁺) and pyrosilicate (Lu₂Si₂O₇:Ce³⁺) scintillators exhibit good scintillation performances in terms of light-yield and decay properties. Nevertheless, both of them have a high melting point (≥1900 °C) which is unfavorable to crystal growth. In this work, an alternative lutetium based silicate scintillator was proposed with a lower melting point (about 1500 °C): Na₃LuSi₃O₉:Ce³⁺. The structure and thermal quenching properties of Na₃LuSi₃O₉:Ce³⁺ were investigated. The emission spectra of Na₃Lu_0.99Ce_0.01Si₃O₉ under UV and X-ray excitation as well as pulsed X-ray measurements were also determined. The phosphors show a broad emission band from 320 nm to 475 nm. Due to the suitable emission wavelength range, the fast decay properties and relative low melting point, Na₃LuSi₃O₉:Ce³⁺ may be a potential novel inorganic scintillator material.