# Advanced Inorganic Halide Ceramic Scintillators

**Authors:** R. Hawrami, E. Ariesanti, H. Parkhe, A. Burger  
**arXiv:** [2103.11267](https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.11267)  
**Date:** 2021-03-20  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2103.11267v1/

## Key points

- Research on ceramic scintillators has advanced alongside bulk single crystal scintillators
- Growing demand for faster and cost-effective production of scintillation materials
- Focus on optimizing optically transparent ceramics to compete with bulk-grown crystals
- Ideal ceramic scintillators possess high density, effective atomic number, brightness, moisture resistance, and ease of handling
- Growing interest in ultra-fast ceramic materials
- Introduction of equipment design and technique for producing Cs2HfCl6 (CHC) and Tl2HfCl6 (THC) ceramic scintillators
- Evaluation of CHC and THC ceramic scintillator fabrication improvements and optimization based on energy resolution and light yield data
- Results show energy resolution and light yield values for CHC and THC ceramic scintillators
- Decay times measured for CHC and THC ceramics
- Both CHC and THC ceramic scintillators exhibit good proportionality data compared to single crystal counterparts
- Advancements in producing advanced inorganic halide ceramic scintillators with improved performance characteristics

## Summary

The research on ceramic scintillators has significantly advanced alongside the growth of bulk single crystal scintillators. With a growing demand for faster and more cost-effective production of scintillation materials, there is an increasing need for further research on scintillating ceramics. This focus is centered on optimizing optically transparent ceramics that can compete with bulk-grown crystals by reducing costs, increasing yield and volume, and enhancing energy resolution in applications currently utilizing sodium iodide and similar materials. The ideal ceramic scintillators possess high density (>5 g/cm3), effective atomic number (Z) (>60), brightness (>40,000 photons/MeV), resistance to moisture, and can be handled without special protection. Additionally, there is a growing interest in ultra-fast ceramic materials. To address this need, this study introduces an equipment design and technique for producing inorganic halide ceramic scintillators Cs2HfCl6 (CHC) and Tl2HfCl6 (THC). The improvements and optimization of CHC and THC ceramic scintillator fabrication are evaluated by monitoring the energy resolution and peak position of the 137Cs full energy peak at 662 keV. Results show that a 1-inch diameter CHC ceramic scintillator achieves an energy resolution of 5.4% (FWHM) and a light yield of 20,700 ph/MeV. On the other hand, a 16-mm diameter THC ceramic scintillator achieves an energy resolution of 5.1% (FWHM) and a light yield of 27,800 ph/MeV. Decay times measured for CHC are 0.6 microseconds (21%) and 3.0 microseconds (79%), while for THC they are 0.3 microseconds (13%) and 1.0 microseconds (87%). Both CHC and THC ceramic scintillators exhibit good proportionality data when compared to their single crystal counterparts. In summary, this study highlights the advancements in producing advanced inorganic halide ceramic scintillators with improved performance characteristics, paving the way for enhanced applications in various systems requiring efficient scintillation materials.