title: Effect of Microstructure on the Radioluminescence and Transparency of Ce-Doped Strontium Hafnate Ceramics.
abstract: In this paper we report on the fabrication and characterization of SrHfO(3):Ce ceramics. Powders were prepared by solid-state synthesis using metal oxides and carbonates. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that phase-pure SrHfO(3) is formed at 1200°C. Inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy confirmed the purity and composition of each batch. SrHfO(3) exhibits several phase changes in the solid, but this does not appear to be detrimental to the ceramics. Microprobe experiments showed uniform elemental grain composition, whereas aluminum added as charge compensation for trivalent cerium congregated at grain boundaries and triple points. Radioluminescence spectra revealed that the light yield decreases when the concentration of excess Sr increases. The decrease in the light yield may be related to the change of Ce(3+) into Ce(4+) ions. For stoichiometric SrHfO(3):Ce, the light yield is about four times that of bismuth germanate (BGO), the conventional benchmark, indicating great potential for many scintillator applications.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Monitoring Devices, Watertown, MA 02472, USA.
authors.forename: Edgar V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: van Loef
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Stuart R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brecher
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baldoni
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Topping
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lingertat
authors.forename: Vinod K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Sarin
authors.forename: Kanai S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Shah