Abstract: The present disclosure discloses, in one arrangement, a scintillator material made of a metal halide with one or more additional group-13 elements. An example of such a compound is Ce:LaBr3 with thallium (Tl) added, either as a codopant or in a stoichiometric admixture and/or solid solution between LaBr3 and TlBr. In another arrangement, the above single crystalline iodide scintillator material can be made by first synthesizing a compound of the above composition and then forming a single crystal from the synthesized compound by, for example, the Vertical Gradient Freeze method. Applications of the scintillator materials include radiation detectors and their use in medical and security imaging.

Abstract: A growth chamber or a Czochralski crystal growth station has one or more re-sealable caps that are inserted into the chamber body. An O-ring seals the cap within its mating portion of the chamber body. The re-sealable caps facilitate re-use of the chamber body for a future crystal growth cycle.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes forming a powder having a composition with the formula: AhBiCjO12, where h is 3±l 0%, i is 2=10%, j is 3±10%, A includes one or more rare earth elements, B includes aluminum and/or gallium, and C includes aluminum and/or gallium. The method additionally includes consolidating the powder to form an optically transparent ceramic, and applying at least one thermodynamic process condition during the consolidating to reduce oxygen and/or thermodynamically reversible defects in the ceramic. In another embodiment, a scintillator includes (Gd3-a-cYa)x(Ga5-bAlb)yO12Dc, where a is from about 0.05-2, b is from about 1-3, x is from about 2.8-3.2, y is from about 4.8-5.2, c is from about 0.003-0.3, and D is a dopant, and where the scintillator is an optically transparent ceramic scintillator having physical characteristics of being formed from a ceramic powder consolidated in oxidizing atmospheres.

Abstract: Roll forming is used for re-shaping an iridium crucible. The crucible is placed on a platen. The platen rotates the crucible while heat is applied by a plurality of torches. A plurality of rollers press on the rotating, heated crucible to re-shape. The roll forming allows for a greater number of repetitions of the re-shaping, increasing the number of uses per expensive re-fabrication of the crucible. The roll forming may provide more exact re-shaping.

Abstract: A radiation detection system may include a detector. The detector may include a scintillator to convert ionizing radiation, which originates externally to the detector, into visible light, a sensor configured to detect the visible light from the scintillator, and a light source. The radiation detection system may further include a controller programmed to control the light source to expose the scintillator to a light to saturate traps in the scintillator.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including manufacturing a powder having a composition of formula (1), M1aM2bM3cM4dO12??(1) where O represents oxygen, M1, M2, M3, and M4 represents a first, second, third, and fourth metal that are different from each other, where the sum of a+b+c+d is about 8, where “a” has a value of about 2 to about 3.5, “b” has a value of 0 to about 5, “c” has a value of 0 to about 5 “d” has a value of 0 to about 1, where “b” and “c”, “b” and “d”, or “c” and “d” cannot both be equal to zero simultaneously, where M1 is a rare earth element comprising gadolinium, yttrium, lutetium, scandium, or a combination of thereof, M2 is aluminum or boron, M3 is gallium, and M4 is a codopant; and heating the powder to a temperature of 500 to 1700° C. in an oxygen containing atmosphere to manufacture a crystalline scintillator.

Abstract: A scintillator element is disclosed where the scintillator element includes a scintillator formed of a scintillation material capable of converting non-visible radiation into scintillation light, wherein the scintillator has a plurality of laser-etched micro-voids within the scintillator, each micro-void having an interior surface, and an intrinsic reflective layer is formed on the interior surface of at least some of the micro-voids, wherein the intrinsic reflective layer is formed from the scintillation material.

Abstract: A radiation detector may include a scintillator, a light source, and a sensor. The scintillator may include various scintillation materials capable of converting non-visible radiation (incoming radiation) into visible light. The sensor may be placed in adjacent or in close proximity to the scintillator, such that any converted visible light may be detected or measured by the sensor. The light source may be placed in adjacent or in close proximity to the scintillator, such that light from the light source may interact with defects in the scintillator to minimize interference on the conversion of non-visible radiation into visible light caused by the defects.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a scintillator comprising a plurality of garnet compositions in a single block having the structural formula (1): M1aM2bM3cM4dO12??(1) where O represents oxygen, M1, M2, M3, and M4 represents a first, second, third and fourth metal that are different from each other, where the sum of a+b+c+d is about 8, where “a” has a value of 2 to 3.5, “b” has a value of 0 to 5, “c” has a value of 0 to 5 “d” has a value of 0 to 1, where “b” and “c”, “b” and “d” or “c” and “d” cannot both be equal to zero simultaneously, where M1 is rare earth element including gadolinium, yttrium, lutetium, or a combination thereof, M2 is aluminum or boron, M3 is gallium and M4 is a codopant; wherein two compositions having identical structural formulas are not adjacent to each other and wherein the single block is devoid of optical interfaces between different compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including disposing in a mold a powder that has a composition for manufacturing a scintillator material and compressing the powder to form the scintillator material; where an exit surface of the scintillator material has a texture that comprises a plurality of projections that reduce total internal reflection at the exit surface and that increase the amount of photons exiting the exit surface by an amount of greater than or equal to 5% over a surface that does not have the projections.

Abstract: A cantilever device for extending capacity of a scale used in a crystal growth apparatus having a pulling head wherein upward movement of a support column in the pulling head decreases a weight measured by the scale. The device includes a horizontal arm having first and second brackets, wherein the first bracket is attached to the pulling head. The device also includes a plate that extends through openings in the first and second brackets, wherein the plate includes a contact end and a free end. Further, the device includes a flexible element attached between the arm and the plate to form a pivot to enable rotation of the plate. A load is positioned on the plate wherein the load causes rotation of the plate about the pivot to cause upward movement of the contact end to move the support column upward to decrease weight measured by the scale.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including disposing in a mold a powder that has a composition for manufacturing a scintillator material and compressing the powder to form the scintillator material; where an exit surface of the scintillator material has a texture that comprises a plurality of projections that reduce total internal reflection at the exit surface and that increase the amount of photons exiting the exit surface by an amount of greater than or equal to 5% over a surface that does not have the projections.

Abstract: A pulling head for a crystal growth furnace. The pulling head includes a servomotor and a rotatable housing attached to the servomotor, wherein the housing includes first, second, third and fourth housing magnets. The pulling head also includes a shaft attached to a scale and a connection device having first and second connection magnets. The first connection magnet is arranged between the first and second housing magnets to generate first and second magnetic repulsion forces and the second connection magnet is arranged between the third and fourth housing magnets to generate third and fourth magnetic repulsion forces. A rotation coupling is attached between the shaft and the connection device wherein the scale weighs the shaft, rotation coupling and the connection device. The servomotor rotates the housing and rotation of the housing is transmitted by the magnetic repulsion forces to the connection device to rotate the connection device.

Abstract: Roll forming is used for re-shaping an iridium crucible. The crucible is placed on a platen. The platen rotates the crucible while heat is applied by a plurality of torches. A plurality of rollers press on the rotating, heated crucible to re-shape. The roll forming allows for a greater number of repetitions of the re-shaping, increasing the number of uses per expensive re-fabrication of the crucible.

Abstract: The use of the effect of crystallographic axis orientation on the effectiveness in annealing in multiple atmospheres and chemical compositions of lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals and other scintillator crystals is disclosed. By controlling axis orientation an favorable annealing condition can be selected to repair both internal interstitial and vacancy defects through the crystal lattice. Axis orientation can be further utilized to control the uniformity of surface finish of chemically etched crystal.

Abstract: A scintillator element is disclosed where the scintillator element includes a scintillator formed of a scintillation material capable of converting non-visible radiation into scintillation light, wherein the scintillator has a plurality of laser-etched micro-voids within the scintillator, each micro-void having an interior surface, and an intrinsic reflective layer is formed on the interior surface of at least some of the micro-voids, wherein the intrinsic reflective layer is formed from the scintillation material.

Abstract: A radiation detector may include a scintillator, a light source, and a sensor. The scintillator may include various scintillation materials capable of converting non-visible radiation (incoming radiation) into visible light. The sensor may be placed in adjacent or in close proximity to the scintillator, such that any converted visible light may be detected or measured by the sensor. The light source may be placed in adjacent or in close proximity to the scintillator, such that light from the light source may interact with defects in the scintillator to minimize interference on the conversion of non-visible radiation into visible light caused by the defects.

Abstract: A halide material, such as scintillator crystals of LaBr3:Ce and SrI2:Eu, with a passivation surface layer is disclosed. The surface layer comprises one or more halides of lower water solubility than the scintillator crystal that the surface layer covers. A method for making such a material is also disclosed. In certain aspects of the disclosure, a passivation layer is formed on a surface of a halide material such as a scintillator crystal of LaBr3:Ce of SrI2:Eu by fluorinating the surface with a fluorinating agent, such as F2 for LaBr3:Ce and HF for SrI2:Eu.

Abstract: A halide material, such as scintillator crystals of LaBr3:Ce and SrI2:Eu, with a passivation surface layer is disclosed. The surface layer comprises one or more halides of lower water solubility than the scintillator crystal that the surface layer covers. A method for making such a material is also disclosed. In certain aspects of the disclosure, a passivation layer is formed on a surface of a halide material such as a scintillator crystal of LaBr3:Ce of SrI2:Eu by fluorinating the surface with a fluorinating agent, such as F2 for LaBr3:Ce and HF for SrI2:Eu.

Abstract: A method for making a rare-earth oxyorthosilicate scintillator single crystal includes growing a single crystal from a melt of compounds including a rare-earth element (such as Lu), silicon and oxygen, a compound including a rare-earth activator (such as Ce), and a compound of a Group-7 element (such as Mn). The method further includes selecting an scintillation performance parameter (such as decay), and based on the scintillation performance parameter to be achieved, doping activator and Group-7 element at predetermined levels, or relative levels between the two, so as to achieve stable growth of the single-crystalline scintillator material from the melt.