Can Pr-Doped YAP Scintillator Perform Better?

A numerous set of Pr-doped YAP single crystals was prepared using Czochralski and micro-pulling down methods. Crystals codoped by bi-, tri- and tetravalent ions were prepared by the latter method as well. The scintillation performance of all the prepared materials was evaluated using radioluminescence, photoelectron yield and scintillation decay measurements at room temperature. The influence of shallow traps was studied by means of thermoluminescence in the 10-350 K temperature range. Though the intrinsic scintillation efficiency of Pr-doped YAP is higher than that of YAP:Ce, enhanced delayed radiative recombination processes are found to be responsible for lower-than-expected photoelectron yield of the former system. The possibilities of further optimization of Pr-doped YAP scintillator are discussed.