Abstract: A furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal in the furnace. The furnace includes a crucible having a melt therein and a heating element for generating heat in the melt. A thermal element within the furnace produces a thermal gradient within the melt to draw a cold spot of a convection cell of the melt away from a seed location of the crucible. A seed crystal is drawn from the melt at the seed location to form a boule to grow the high temperature oxide crystal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for manufacturing a single crystal comprising a furnace that includes a furnace wall; a quartz tube disposed concentrically within the furnace wall; an induction coil disposed in an annulus between the quartz tube and the furnace wall; a crucible disposed at a bottom surface of the furnace within the quartz tube; where the crucible includes a wall extending upward from a bottom crucible surface; and a refractory lining being disposed in an annulus between the quartz tube and the crucible; where a portion of the refractory lining has a different composition, property, geometry, or a combination thereof from the A remainder of the crucible.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rare earth oxyorthosilicate crystal having a formula (1): Lu2(1-a-b-c-d)A2aB2bC2cD2dSi(1?x+y)EyO5(1-z), wherein Lu is lutetium; A comprises a trivalent ionic substitution selected from La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Sc, Y, Al, Ga, B, In, Bi, Sb, Au, Rh, or a combination thereof; B comprises a non-trivalent ionic substitution selected from Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Li, Na, K, Rb, Mn, Cu, Zn, or a combination thereof; C comprises an activating cation substitution selected from Ce3+, Ce4+, Pr3+, or a combination thereof; D comprises a monovalent halogen anion substitution selected from F, Cl, Br, or a combination thereof; E comprises a trivalent ion substitution selected from La, Sc, Y, Al, Ga, In, B, In, Bi, Sb, Au, Rh, or any combination of thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal. The furnace includes a cylindrical furnace wall, an induction coil disposed within the cylindrical furnace wall, a quartz tube disposed within the induction coil, a refractory lining disposed within the quartz tube, and a crucible disposed within the refractory lining, the crucible including a melt therein. A lid placed on the crucible. An asymmetric configuration of at least one of the crucible, the refractory lining, the quartz tube, the induction coil and the lid within the cylindrical furnace wall creates a thermal gradient that causes a cold spot in the melt to migrate from a first location to a second location of the melt. A rod having a seed crystal at an end thereof is lowered into the crucible to draw a boule from the melt via the seed crystal from the first location.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a furnace for producing single crystal boules, the furnace comprising a furnace wall; a plurality of crucibles, where each crucible is operative to contain a melt that is contacted by a different pull rod; where each pull rod is attached to seed crystal; a first drive system that is located above the furnace and is configured to drive a first main shaft that is either in a geared or belted communication with a plurality of first planetary shafts; where each pull rod is in rotary communication at least one planetary shaft; where each pull rod is operative to contact the melt while undergoing rotary and translational motion with respect to a melt in one of the plurality of crucibles; where each crucible is surrounded by an induction coil and a refractory lining; and wherein each induction coil and refractory lining lie within the furnace wall.

Abstract: A furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal in the furnace. The furnace includes a crucible having a melt therein and a heating element for generating heat in the melt. A thermal element within the furnace produces a thermal gradient within the melt to draw a cold spot of a convection cell of the melt away from a seed location of the crucible. A seed crystal is drawn from the melt at the seed location to form a boule to grow the high temperature oxide crystal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for manufacturing a single crystal comprising: a furnace that includes a furnace wall; a crucible disposed on a first base plate within the furnace; where the first base plate has a porosity of 1 to 80 volume percent, based on a total volume of the first base plate; and where the first base plate does not comprise free flowing particles; an induction coil disposed inside the furnace wall and outside the crucible; and a refractory lining being disposed in an annulus between the furnace wall and the crucible.

Abstract: A furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal in the furnace. The furnace includes a crucible having a melt therein and a heating element for generating heat in the melt. A thermal element within the furnace produces a thermal gradient within the melt to draw a cold spot of a convection cell of the melt away from a seed location of the crucible. A seed crystal is drawn from the melt at the seed location to form a boule to grow the high temperature oxide crystal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal. The furnace includes a cylindrical furnace wall, an induction coil disposed within the cylindrical furnace wall, a quartz tube disposed within the induction coil, a refractory lining disposed within the quartz tube, and a crucible disposed within the refractory lining, the crucible including a melt therein. A lid placed on the crucible. An asymmetric configuration of at least one of the crucible, the refractory lining, the quartz tube, the induction coil and the lid within the cylindrical furnace wall creates a thermal gradient that causes a cold spot in the melt to migrate from a first location to a second location of the melt. A rod having a seed crystal at an end thereof is lowered into the crucible to draw a boule from the melt via the seed crystal from the first location.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal. The furnace includes a cylindrical furnace wall, an induction coil disposed within the cylindrical furnace wall, a quartz tube disposed within the induction coil, a refractory lining disposed within the quartz tube, and a crucible disposed within the refractory lining, the crucible including a melt therein. A lid placed on the crucible. An asymmetric configuration of at least one of the crucible, the refractory lining, the quartz tube, the induction coil and the lid within the cylindrical furnace wall creates a thermal gradient that causes a cold spot in the melt to migrate from a first location to a second location of the melt. A rod having a seed crystal at an end thereof is lowered into the crucible to draw a boule from the melt via the seed crystal from the first location.

Abstract: A device for detecting ionizing radiation includes a radiation interaction region configured to generate light in response to an interaction with the ionizing radiation, an optical gain medium region in optical communication with the radiation interaction region and configured to amplify the light, and an energy source coupled to the optical gain medium region and configured to maintain a state of population inversion in the optical gain medium region. The optical gain medium region has an emission wavelength that corresponds with a wavelength of the light generated by the radiation interaction region.

Abstract: A detector for use in imaging applications includes at least one detector array, an array of photodetectors, and a continuous light guide disposed between the detectors and the photodetectors. The light guide is continuous over the entire area of the photodetectors and detectors. The thickness of the light guide is optimized based on the shape of the photodetector array. Each detector array includes a plurality of scintillator elements disposed in an M×N array, where “M” and “N” are independently selectable and are each at least one. A mechanism for maintaining the relative positions of the individual scintillator elements with respect to each other is provided. The retainer is further provided to enhance the separation between the individual detector arrays to define distinct boundaries between the position profiles of the scintillator arrays.

Abstract: A method for producing a high resolution detector array so as to provide very high packing fraction, i.e., the distance between scintillator elements is minimized so the detector efficiency will be higher than is currently achievable. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fabrication methodology is enhanced by handling LSO bars rather than single crystals when gluing on the Lumirror® as well as etching the LSO. Namely, an LSO boule is cut into wide bars of a selected dimension, for example 30 mm, which are then acid etched or mechanically polished. A selected number, N, of these LSO bars can then be glued together with Lumirror® sheets between each bar (coating the LSO disks and Lumirror® sheets with Epotek 301-2). The glued bar block is then cut again into bars in a perpendicular direction, and these new LSO-Lumirror® bars are etched.