Photoluminescence and radiation response properties of Ce³⁺-doped CsCaCl₃ crystalline scintillator

In this paper, we report on the photoluminescence and scintillation properties of a newly developed CsCaCl₃:Ce (0.5 mol%) crystalline scintillator grown by the vertical Bridgman method. The fluorescence quantum efficiency for the Ce³⁺ characteristic emission bands centered at around 350–400 nm was 76% under excitation at 330 nm light. The photoluminescence decay time of the Ce³⁺ was approximately 32 ns. When x-ray excited the crystal, intense emission bands were observed at 350–400 nm, and could be attributed to the Ce³⁺ emission. The scintillation light yield of the developed crystal was ∼7600 ph MeV⁻¹ compared to a NaI:Tl commercial scintillator, and the principal scintillation decay time was approximately 340 ns plus two fast components of around 1.6 ns and 45 ns. (paper)