Lanthanum Bromide doped with Cerium Chloride (Ce:LaBr3) is a highly effective scintillation crystal known for its exceptional properties and performance in radiation detection. This crystal is particularly valued for its superior light yield and fast response times, making it a popular choice in various advanced applications.
Properties of Ce:LaBr3 (Lanthanum Bromide doped with Cerium Chloride):
- High Light Yield: Ce:LaBr3 is renowned for its very high light yield, significantly higher than many other scintillation materials, which allows for better resolution and sensitivity in detecting radiation.
- Fast Decay Time: This crystal exhibits one of the fastest decay times among commercial scintillators, typically under 30 nanoseconds, facilitating rapid data processing and accurate timing measurements.
- Excellent Energy Resolution: The high light yield and fast decay time contribute to excellent energy resolution, enabling precise measurement of different energy levels of incoming radiation.
- Hygroscopic Nature: While Ce:LaBr3 offers many advantages, it is also highly hygroscopic, meaning it readily absorbs moisture from the air. This requires encapsulation in moisture-proof housings to maintain its integrity and performance.
Applications:
- Nuclear and Particle Physics: Due to its fast response and high resolution, Ce:LaBr3 is extensively used in research facilities, including particle accelerators and nuclear laboratories, where precise radiation measurement is critical.
- Homeland Security: In security applications, Ce:LaBr3 detectors are used for the identification and measurement of radioactive materials, aiding in nuclear material control and counterterrorism efforts.
- Medical Imaging: The crystal’s properties make it suitable for use in PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanners and other nuclear medicine imaging devices that require high-resolution and fast detection capabilities.
- Oil Logging: In the oil and gas industry, Ce:LaBr3 is utilized in well logging tools to measure and analyze formations, helping in the assessment of well viability and structure.
The production of Ce:LaBr3 crystals involves careful control of the cerium doping levels and the growth conditions to ensure optimal scintillation properties. The need for protective encapsulation due to its hygroscopic nature also adds complexity to its use and handling, emphasizing the importance of precise manufacturing and maintenance procedures.
Advantages of Ce:LaBr3 Crystal
- Best energy resolution
- Higher light output than NaI(Tl)
- Excellent linearity
- Excellent light output stability with temperature
- High count rate capabilities
- High effective atomic number
Shapeoptics is Able to Offer
- Good quality LBC scintillation crystal
- Good quality LBC crystal blank materials
- OEM service for good quality LBC crystals
Crystal Properties
| Density / g.cm-3 | 5.3 |
| Melting Point / ℃ | 843 |
| Thermal Expansion / ℃-1 | 8 x 10-6 parallel c-axis |
| Refractive Index | 1.9 |
| Emission Peak / nm | 380 |
| Decay Constant / ns | 16 |
| Light Yield / ke | 63 photons |
| Photoelectron Yield [NaI(Tl)=100%] | 150% ~ 165% |
| Cleavage Plane | (100) |
LBC (Lanthanum Bromide doped with Cerium Chloride) scintilla- tion crystal belongs to BGRI’s potent product, which has the light output of 1.5 ~ 1.6 times as much as that of NaI:TI, and its decay time is 17ns ~ 25ns, only 1/20 ~ 1/10 of NaI:TI. It can be used for almost fields of nuclear radiation detection.
Shapeoptics offers a comprehensive range of materials and advanced equipment for custom and OEM optical components, leveraging over 20 years of expertise in manufacturing lenses, prisms, windows, and more. We utilize high-quality materials like UV and IR grade fused silica, Germanium, and ZnSe, among others. Our state-of-the-art techniques and equipment minimize waste and optimize delivery times. Our in-house capabilities include standard and custom coatings across the UV-NIR spectrum, ensuring high quality and compliance with all industry standards. For precision and reliability in optics, contact Shapeoptics for your next project.
