Scintillator compositions, and related processes and articles of manufacture

US7084403B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Alok Mani Srivastava · San Francisco, US
• Steven Jude Duclos · Niskayuna, US
• Qun Deng · New York, US
• James W. LeBlanc · Niskayuna, US
• Tie Bond Gao · Shanghai, CN
• Jian Min Wang · Nanhu, CN
• Lucas Clarke · Bradenton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 17, 2003
• Grant date: Aug 1, 2006
• Expiry date: Jun 24, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C09K11/7772
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Scintillator materials based on certain types of halide-lanthanide matrix materials are described. In one embodiment, the matrix material contains a mixture of lanthanide halides, i.e., a solid solution of at least two of the halides, such as lanthanum chloride and lanthanum bromide. In another embodiment, the matrix material is based on lanthanum iodide alone, which must be substantially free of lanthanum oxyiodide. The scintillator materials, which can be in monocrystalline or polycrystalline form, also include an activator for the matrix material, e.g., cerium. Radiation detectors that use the scintillators are also described, as are related methods for detecting high-energy radiation.