New LSO based scintillators

Cerium-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) is amongst the most promising new scintillators discovered in almost five decades, with a unique combination of important properties for X and gamma-ray spectroscopy, namely: high density, fast decay, and large light yield. LSO seems to be a prime candidate to replace BGO in PET systems. However, the practical utilization of LSO is hindered by difficulties related to crystal growth (Czochralski method) due to the high temperatures employed. A new approach has been developed using a low-temperature crystal growth technology to produce scintillating LSO crystals. Light transparent polycrystalline LSO samples of a few mm/sup 3/ in volume were grown and characterized by XRD, optical absorption, light decay measurement and gamma-ray spectral response. The properties of the new crystals compared well with high-quality crystals grown by the Czochralski method.