Sol-gel coating of scintillating crystals

We propose a new method for the coating of scintillating crystals that combines low thickness and optical efficiency. In this method, the air-gap between crystal and wrapping is replaced by a sol-gel optical coating of very low refractive index (<1.30). The external wrapping is replaced by a diffusive or reflective layer, which can also be made by the sol-gel technique. This leads to a thin coating of a few microns, with light collection properties comparable to usual wrapping, good mechanical and radiation resistance.