[ RadSafe ] New Method for Making Improved Radiation Detectors

[Peter Bossew]

About LaCl_3 :Ce and LaBr_3 :Ce scintillators:

The leading manufacturer seems to be Saint-Gobain, 
www.detectors.saint-gobain.com/ . The LaHal line is called Brillance by 
Saint Gobain, some documents on the performance of these detectors can 
be downloaded from their website.

Currently these crystals are still very expensive (a multiple of NaI), 
but resolution (more than twice of NaI) and efficiency make them a 
potentially interesting alternative to NaI. One serious problem, to my 
opinion, is the inevitable internal BG due to ^138 La (a natural, 
primordial isotope of La, 1.05e11 y, 1436 keV (66%) and 489 keV (34%) 
according to the LUND database). Since this BG is known and constant it 
can be subtracted, but it inevitably increases the LLD.

Also Canberra has a LaBr detector, called IPROL-1 and part of a modified 
Inspector 1000 monitor. (Apparently no web information about this 
product is available.)

Reports on experience with LaHal scintillators would be appreciated.


Peter Bossew


-----------------------------------------------------
Peter Bossew 

European Commission (EC) 
Joint Research Centre (JRC) 
Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) 

TP 441, Via Fermi 1 
21020 Ispra (VA) 
ITALY 
  
Tel. +39 0332 78 9109 
Fax. +39 0332 78 5466 
Email: peter.bossew at jrc.it 

WWW: http://rem.jrc.cec.eu.int 
  
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