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: A tactical security system can be used to secure a room. For example, such a security system may be contained in a housing sized for shipment to a location for placement in a room in order to secure the room. Various components may be included in the housing, such as a storage device configured to store data received from one or more audio or video recording devices; an access controller configured to interface with a badge reader associated with one or more access points to the room in order to selectively control access to the room; a switch configured to couple the one or more audio or video recording devices with the storage device and to couple the badge reader with the access controller; and/or a power supply configured to supply power to the devices in the housing.

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: 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 tactical security system can be used to secure a room. For example, such a security system may be contained in a housing sized for shipment to a location for placement in a room in order to secure the room. Various components may be included in the housing, such as a storage device configured to store data received from one or more audio or video recording devices; an access controller configured to interface with a badge reader associated with one or more access points to the room in order to selectively control access to the room; a switch configured to couple the one or more audio or video recording devices with the storage device and to couple the badge reader with the access controller; and/or a power supply configured to supply power to the devices in the housing.

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.

Abstract: A mixed halide scintillator material including a fluoride is disclosed. The introduction of fluorine reduces the hygroscopicity of halide scintillator materials and facilitates tuning of scintillation properties of the materials.

Abstract: A method and device for improving the optical performance (such as time resolution) of scintillation detectors using the optical bleaching technique are disclosed. Light of a selected wavelength is emitted by a light source into a scintillator. The wavelength is selected to meet the minimum energy requirement for releasing of charge carriers captured by the charge carrier traps in the scintillation material. Trap-mediated scintillation components are thus reduced by optical bleaching and the optical performance of the scintillator crystal and the detector is enhanced.

Abstract: A method of growing a rare-earth oxyorthosilicate crystal, and crystals grown using the method are disclosed. The method includes preparing a melt by melting a first substance including at least one first rare-earth element and providing an atmosphere that includes an inert gas and a gas including oxygen.

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.

Abstract: A tactical security system can be used to secure a room. For example, such a security system may be contained in a housing sized for shipment to a location for placement in a room in order to secure the room. Various components may be included in the housing, such as a storage device configured to store data received from one or more audio or video recording devices; an access controller configured to interface with a badge reader associated with one or more access points to the room in order to selectively control access to the room; a switch configured to couple the one or more audio or video recording devices with the storage device and to couple the badge reader with the access controller; and/or a power supply configured to supply power to the devices in the housing.