New Start of Lead Tungstate Crystal Production for High-Energy Physics Experiments

Presently, there is a demand to apply high-quality lead tungstate (PbWO
₄
, PWO) scintillation material for electromagnetic calorimetry (EMC). Unfortunately, the mass production of lead tungstate using the Czochralski method was stopped after shut down of Bogoroditsk Technological Chemical Plant (Bogoroditsk, Russia). CRYTUR (Turnov, Czech Republic) having long time experience and the necessary technology in the development and mass production of oxide crystals expressed their interest in meeting PWO requirements for the high-energy physics community. Last year the development of lead tungstate crystals was started by CRYTUR. Several series of samples were produced under different technical conditions. All test crystals are being characterized with respect to light yield, scintillation kinetics, photoluminescence, optical transmittance and radiation hardness studied by γ-ray irradiation in laboratories at Giessen and Minsk. The obtained results confirmed that the technological approach of CRYTUR will allow to produce PWO crystals with properties very close to the PWO-II specifications of the PANDA experiment at FAIR (Darmstadt, Germany).