Large Diameter Fast and Bright Thallium-Based Ternary Halide Scintillators for High Energy Physics and Medical Imaging Detectors

Scintillator crystals play an important role in the radiation detection field. Widespread use of scintillators as gamma-ray detectors is largely generated by their extensive availability and tunable properties, such high light output, high stopping power, fast decay time, and good proportionality. Additionally, the cost for manufacturing a scintillation detector like $\mathrm{NaI}: \mathrm{Tl}$ is usually considerably lower than the cost for manufacturing a semiconductor detector. The vast variety of applications and requirements necessitates more research into new scintillation materials and/or better methods of producing existing materials. In this paper we present the investigation and development of bulk size, non-hygroscopic intrinsic Tl-based scintillation compounds for high energy physics particle detectors, growing these highd-ensity scintillators by incorporating heavy ions such as Tl-ion has been shown significantly increase material density. Our objective is to develop non-hygroscopic scintillators with high densities, high light yields, with a fast decay time component and sufficiently radiation hard. Up to 1-inch diameter ternary compounds TlAX
3
(where $\mathrm{A}=\mathrm{Mg}, \mathrm{Ca}, \mathrm{Cu}$, or $\mathrm{Ba}, \mathrm{X}=\mathrm{Cl}, \mathrm{Br}$, I or mixed halides) are grown, processed, and characterized for their scintillation performance. Energy resolution, light yield, decay time, and proportionality behavior of these novel compounds will be presented.