Luminescence properties of Ce³⁺ doped gadolinium-calcium-silicaborate glass scintillator

In this work, the Ce³⁺ doped gadolinium-calcium-silicaborate glass scintillators of the composition ratio 25Gd₂O₃:10CaO:10SiO₂:(55−x)B₂O₃:xCeF₃, have been fabricated by using the melt-quenching technique. The doping concentration of the Ce³⁺ was varied from 0.05 mol% to 2.5 mol%. The 4f-5d transition of the Ce³⁺ allowed scintillation with a fast decay time. The absorption spectrum, X-ray induced emission spectrum, photo luminescence spectrum, laser luminescence spectrum and decay time of the scintillators were measured for studying the luminescence properties. From the X-ray induced emission spectrum result, we checked the trend between doping concentration and light yield. The laser induced luminescence spectrum was measured while changing the temperature from 300 K to 10 K. We also measured the decay time by using the laser excitation of the 0.15 mol% Ce³⁺ doped glass scintillator. - Highlights: • Ce³⁺ doped gadolinium-calcium-silicaborate glass scintillators were developed. • Glass is easily fabricated with large sizes and various doping materials. • The luminescence properties are studied by using various radiation sources. • The light yield and decay time were measured at low temperature. • One decay time component is found.