A High Performance Scintilator for Gamma Spectroscopy

The goal of this program is to develop purification, stoichiometry control, and crystal growth techniques to enable production of large volume scintillator detectors with exceptionally superior performance. The Phase I of this program will be focused on identification and optimization of processes and techniques that would enable growth of large diameter crystals. Phase I program will also investigate the effect of modulating the chemical composition of the crystal through, for example, doping to improve its scintillation properties. The success of this program promises to result in higher availability and lower cost of large volume detectors needed for homeland security applications as well as monitoring of nuclear stockpiles and nuclear contamination. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Large-volume, high-resolution scintillators are exceptionally for detection of nuclear radiation. They have applications in monitoring for radioactive contamination in nuclear power plants, nuclear science, astronomy, and potentially well-logging. Key Words: Gamma detector, Scintillator