Ion Technique for Identifying Gamma Detector Candidates

Recent demands for radiation detector materials with better energy resolution at room temperature have prompted research efforts on both accelerated material discovery and efficient analysis techniques. Ions can easily deposit their energy in thin films or small crystals, and the radiation response can be used to identify material properties relevant to detector performance. In an effort to identify gamma detector candidates using small crystals or film samples, an ion technique is developed to measure relative light yield and energy resolution of candidate materials, and to evaluate radiation detection performance. Employing a unique time-of-flight (TOF) telescope, light yield and energy resolution resulting from ion excitation are investigated over a continuous energy region. The efficiency of this ion technique is demonstrated using both organic (plastic scintillator) and inorganic ( CaF₂:Eu, YAP:Ce, CsI:Tl and BGO) scintillators.