Ce-doped YAG and LuAG Epitaxial Films for Scintillation Detectors

Epitaxial garnet films of undoped and Ce³⁺ -doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG) were grown by the isothermal liquid phase epitaxy from two different fluxes: we used a standard PbO-B₂O₃ flux and, as a novelty, BaO-B₂O₃-BaF₂ flux. It is shown that the films obtained from the lead-free BaO flux exhibited superior luminescent properties comparable with those of Czochralski grown single crystals. A detailed comparison of optical, luminescent, and kinetic properties of films grown from these two types of fluxes is made.