Novel LaCl₃:Yb²⁺ crystal scintillator for X-ray spectrometer

This work investigated the growth, optical properties, and scintillation performance of a LaCl₃ single crystal doped with Yb²⁺ ions. The crystal was grown using the vertical Bridgman method. The photoluminescence spectrum resembled the X-ray induced luminescence spectrum, indicating emission from the 5d→4f transition of Yb²⁺. LaCl₃:Yb²⁺ exhibited an energy resolution of 14.3% and a light output of 24,940 ph/MeV under 662 keV γ-ray excitation. Additionally, the scintillation decay profiles were measured using alpha particles and gamma rays from ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs sources, respectively. These results suggest that Yb²⁺ could be a promising luminescence center for high light yield scintillation detectors.