Characteristics of SrBPO5:Ce3+ based materials as a neutron storage phosphor

Characteristics of SrBPO5:Ce3+ based materials have been investigated as a neutron storage phosphor. The authors found that the SrBPO5:Ce3+ phosphor shows photostimulated luminescence (PSL) by illumination with 635 nm laser light after neutron irradiation. The PSL yields of SrBPO5:Ce3+ phosphor were increased by adding SrF2. The red laser seemed to be efficient to produce PSL signal from the results of PSL excitation spectrum measurement. The PSL yields, per unit neutron fluence, of SrBPO5:Ce3++SrF2 sample were proportional to E−0.5, where E is neutron energy. The Sγ/Sn ratio of the phosphor was one order of magnitude lower compared to that of a commercially available imaging plate, where Sγ and Sn are the gamma and neutron sensitivities, respectively. The low Sγ/Sn ratio indicates that the phosphor has good gamma-ray rejection characteristics as a neutron detector. The phosphor might be a candidate for a new neutron imaging plate having less gamma-ray sensitivity.