LPE Growth of Composite Thermoluminescent Detectors Based on the Lu_3−xGd_xAl₅O₁₂:Ce Single Crystalline Films and YAG:Ce Crystals

• Main Authors: Sandra Witkiewicz-Lukaszek, Anna Mrozik, Vitalii Gorbenko, Tetiana Zorenko, Pawel Bilski, A. Fedorov, Yuriy Zorenko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-03-01
• Series: Crystals
• Subjects: liquid phase epitaxy; single crystalline films; mixed garnets; thermoluminescence; tl detector cations
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/10/3/189
• ISSN: 2073-4352

This work is dedicated to the development of new types of composite thermoluminescent (TL) detectors for simultaneous registration of the different components of ionization radiation based on the single crystalline films (SCFs) of Ce³⁺-doped Lu_3−xGd_xAl₅O₁₂:Ce (x = 0−1.5) garnet and Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce (YAG:Ce) substrates using the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) growth method. For this purpose, the TL properties of the mentioned epitaxial structures were examined in Risø TL/OSL-DA-20 reader under excitation by α- and β-particles from ²⁴²Am and ⁹⁰Sr-⁹⁰Y sources. We have shown that the cation engineering of SCF content can result in more significant separation of the TL glow curves of SCFs and substrates under α- and β-particle excitations in comparison with the prototype of such composite detectors based on the Lu₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce (LuAG:Ce)/YAG:Ce epitaxial structure. Specifically, the difference between the TL glow curves of Lu_1.5Gd_1.5Al₅O₁₂:Ce SCFs and YAG:Ce substrates increases up to 120 K in comparison with a respective value of 80 degrees in the prototype based on the LuAG:Ce/YAG:Ce epitaxial structure. Therefore, the LPE-grown epitaxial structures containing Lu_1.5Gd_1.5Al₅O₁₂:Ce SCFs and Ce³⁺-doped YAG:Ce substrate can be successfully applied for simultaneous registration of α- and β-particles in mixed fluxes of ionization radiation.