IMPROVED SCINTILLATOR MATERIALS FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

CESIUM FLUORIDE (CEF3) HAS POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES AS A SCINTILLATOR FOR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) SCANNING IT HAS ALMOST THE SAME DENSITY AS CURRENTLY USED BISMUTH GERMANATE (BGO), BUT IS AT LEAST 10 TIMES FASTER. THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH USING FLUORIDE IS ITS LOWER LIGHT OUTPUT, APPROXIMATELY HALF THAT OF BGO. DETAILED SPECTROSCOPIC WORK SHOWS THAT CEF3 SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF IMPROVED EFFICIENCY BECAUSE CEF3 EMISSION IS TO SOME DEGREE, NONRADIATIVELY QUENCHED. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO FIND THE REASON FOR THIS QUENCH AND ELIMINATE IT. CEF3 WOULD THEN CLEARLY BECOME SUPERIOR TO BGO. THE PHASE I PROJECT WILL ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE THIS IMPROVEMENT BY GROWING A SERIES OF LAX CE1-XF3 IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE IMPURITY OR DEFECT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE QUENCH. THE PROJECT PROJECT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN COOPERATION WITH OPTOVAC, INC.