Scintillation crystal including a co-doped sodium halide
A scintillation crystal can include a sodium halide that is co-doped with thallium and another element. In an embodiment, the scintillation crystal can include NaX:Tl, Me, wherein X represents a halogen, and Me represents a Group 1 element, a Group 2 element, a rare earth element, or any combination thereof. In a particular embodiment, the scintillation crystal has a property including, for radiation in a range of 300 nm to 700 nm, an emission maximum at a wavelength no greater than 430 nm; or an energy resolution less than 6.4% when measured at 662 keV, 22° C., and an integration time of 1 microsecond. In another embodiment, the co-dopant can be Sr or Ca. The scintillation crystal can have lower energy resolution, better proportionality, a shorter pulse decay time, or any combination thereof as compared to the sodium halide that is doped with only thallium.
1. A scintillation crystal comprising NaX:Tl, Me, wherein:
X represents a halogen;
Me represents a Group 1 element, a Group 2 element, or any combination thereof;
Tl has a dopant concentration in a range of 1×10 −5 mol % to 0.2 mol %; and
Me has a dopant concentration greater than the dopant concentration of Tl; and
the scintillation crystal has a property including:
an energy resolution less than 6.4% when measured at 662 keV, 22° C., and an integration time of 1 microsecond; or
a pulse decay time that is less than another scintillation crystal that has a composition of NaX:Tl.
2. The scintillation crystal of claim 1 , wherein Me represents a Group 1 element and has a concentration in a range of 1×10 −5 mol % to 9 mol %.
3. The scintillation crystal of claim 2 , wherein Me is Rb, Cs, or any combination thereof.
4. The scintillation crystal of claim 1 , wherein X is I.
5. A method comprising;
providing the scintillation crystal of claim 1 ;
capturing radiation within the scintillation crystal;
determining a pulse decay time and an actual light yield of the radiation captured;
determining an estimated light yield corresponding to the pulse decay time; and
calculating an adjusted light yield that is a product of the actual light yield times the light yield of NaX:Tl divided by the estimated light yield.
6. A scintillation crystal comprising NaX:Tl, Sr, wherein:
X represents a halogen; and
Tl has a dopant concentration in a range of 1×10 −5 mol % to 0.2 mol %; and
Sr has a dopant concentration greater than a dopant concentration of Tl; and
the scintillation crystal has a pulse decay time that is at least 5% less than a pulse decay time a NaI:Tl crystal when the scintillation crystal and the NaI:Tl crystal are measured at 22° C. and exposed to gamma radiation having an energy of 662 keV.
7. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein Sr has a concentration no greater than 0.9 mol %.
8. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein the scintillation crystal has a greater light yield as compared to a NaI:Tl crystal when the scintillation crystal and the NaI:Tl crystal are measured at 22° C.
9. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein the scintillation crystal has an energy resolution less than 6.4% when measured at 662 keV, 22° C., and an integration time of 1 microsecond.
10. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein Sr has a concentration in a range of 0.01 mol % to 0.2 mol %.
11. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein at energies in the range of 32 keV to 81 keV, the scintillation crystal has an average relative light yield as normalized to a light yield at 2615 keV of no greater than 1.15.
12. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein at energies in the range of 122 keV to 511 keV, the scintillation crystal has an average relative light yield as normalized to a light yield at 2615 keV no greater than 1.07.
13. The scintillation crystal of claim 6 , wherein Tl has a concentration in a range of 1×10 −4 mol % to 0.15 mol %.
14. A scintillation crystal comprising NaX:Tl, Ca, wherein:
X represents a halogen;
Tl has a concentration of at least 1×10 −5 mol %;
a ratio of Ca:Tl is in a range of 1.5 to 7.0; and
the scintillation crystal has a pulse decay time that is at least 5% less than a pulse decay time of a NaI:Tl crystal when the scintillation crystal and the NaI:Tl crystal are measured at 22° C. and exposed to gamma radiation having an energy of 662 keV.
15. The scintillation crystal of claim 14 , wherein Ca has a concentration no greater than 5 mol %.
16. The scintillation crystal of claim 14 , wherein the scintillation crystal has an energy resolution less than 6.4% when measured at 662 keV, 22° C., and an integration time of 1 microsecond.
17. The scintillation crystal of claim 14 , wherein at energies in the range of 32 keV to 81 keV, the scintillation crystal has an average relative light yield as normalized to a light yield at 2615 keV of no greater than 1.15.
18. The scintillation crystal of claim 14 , wherein at energies in the range of 122 keV to 511 keV, the scintillation crystal has an average relative light yield as normalized to a light yield at 2615 keV no greater than 1.07.
19. The scintillation crystal of claim 14 , wherein Ca has a concentration in a range of 0.01 mol % to 0.9 mol %.
20. The scintillation crystal of claim 19 , wherein Tl has a concentration in a range of 1×10 −4 mol % to 0.2 mol %.