Cerium activated lithium silicate glass scintillators have been used for a variety of radiation detection applications since their development in the late 1950’s. The most common application is neutron detection since the glasses are often enriched in Lithium-6
- Neutron spectrometry
- Neutron radiography
- Oil and gas exploration
- Alpha, beta and gamma detection in extreme environments
Glass scintillators are divided into three types based on the percentage (by weight) of lithium content. In each type, the lithium is present in its natural isotopic ratio, enriched in 6Li to 95%, or depleted in 6Li (99.99% 7Li). The properties of the different glasses within each type are similar except for neutron sensitivity.
All of the glasses are formulated to have extremely low backgrounds (less than 20 dpm/100g of alpha activity) making it no longer necessary to order special types having this property.
| GS2 | GS20* | KG2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density [g/cm3] | 2.64 | 2.5 | 2.42 |
| Coefficient of linear expansion/°C | 7.0x10-6 | 9.23x10-6 | 100 x 10-6 |
| Light output relative to anthracene+ | 22-34% | 20-30% | 20% |
| Decay times++, neutron excitation, ns | none | 18, 57 & 98 | 18, 62 & 93 |
| Decay times++, alpha excitation, ns | 20, 48 & 88 | 16, 49 & 78 | 15, 45 & 56 |
| Decay times++, beta excitation, ns | 19, 57 & 103 | 20, 58 & 105 | 17, 51 & 96 |
| Alpha/beta ratio | 0.23 | ||
| Wavelength of emission max [nm] | 395 | 395 | 395 |
| Refractive index at emission maximum | 1.58 | 1.55 | 1.566 |
| Resolution on the thermal neutron “peak” obtained with moderated Po/Be neutrons | 13~22% | 15~28% | 20~30% |
| Peak/through ratio of above “peak” (range) | 15:1 ~ 40:1 | 10:1 ~ 40:1 | 10:1 ~20:1 |
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+Determined by thickness, increasing with decreasing thickness down to approximately 2mm ++Fast component, slow component and 90-10% respectively. |
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* GS20 is a registered trademark of Scintacor Ltd. |
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Complete scintillation detector assemblies are designed to your specifications.
Note: bare glass scintillator is not distributed by us
The most common forms produced are discs, cylinders or rectangles. Standard flat dimensions range from 10 to 200mm and thicknesses from 1 to 50mm. These dimensions can be combined to produce cylinders, discs or rectangular plates having maximum weights of about 280 grams.
Complete scintillation detector assemblies are designed to your specifications. Note: bare glass scintillator is not distributed by us
