Scintillation properties of LaCl3:Ce3+ crystals: fast, efficient and high-energy-resolution scintillators

The scintillation properties of LaCl₃ doped with different Ce³⁺ concentrations studied by means of optical, X-ray and γ-ray excitation are presented. Under optical and γ-ray excitation, Ce³⁺ emission is observed peaking at 330 and 352 nm. For LaCl₃ doped with 2%, 4%, 10%, 30% Ce³⁺ and pure CeCl₃, we measured a light yield of 46000±3000 photons per MeV (Ph/MeV) of absorbed γ-ray energy. The scintillation decay curve can be described by three decay components: a short (τ=25 ns), intermediate (τ=200-900 ns) and long (τ=0.8-14 μs) component. The contribution of the short decay component to the total light yield increases with Ce³⁺ concentration: ranging from 10% for LaCl₃: 2% Ce³⁺ to 69% for pure CeCl₃. An energy resolution (FWHM over peak position) for the 662 keV full energy peak of, respectively 3.5±0.4%, 3.5±0.4%, 3.1±0.3%, 3.3±0.3% and 3.4±0.3% was observed for LaCl₃: 2%, 4%, 10%, 30% Ce ³⁺ and pure CeCl₃