Crystal growth and characterization of 1-inch GTAGG: Ce single crystal for sub-micron resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging

Crystal growth and characterization of 1-inch GTAGG: Ce single crystal for sub-micron resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging

Abstract A high-performance Ce3+-doped (Gd, Tb)3(Ga, Al)5O12 (GTAGG: Ce) single crystal was engineered and characterized, demonstrating a high application potential for advanced X-ray imaging. A transparent 1-inch diameter single crystal was grown using the Czochralski method, demonstrating a signif...

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Main Authors: Kazuya Omuro, Masao Yoshino, Liudmila Gushchina, Seiichi Yamamoto, Kohei Nakanishi, Kei Kamada, Karol Bartosiewicz, Kyoung Jin Kim, Takahiko Horiai, Rikito Murakami, Akihiro Yamaji, Takashi Hanada, Yuui Yokota, Shunsuke Kurosawa, Yuji Ohashi, Hiroki Sato, Jun Kataoka, Akira Yoshikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Radioluminescence
Scintillators
X-ray imaging
Computed tomography
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96031-5
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Summary:Abstract A high-performance Ce3+-doped (Gd, Tb)3(Ga, Al)5O12 (GTAGG: Ce) single crystal was engineered and characterized, demonstrating a high application potential for advanced X-ray imaging. A transparent 1-inch diameter single crystal was grown using the Czochralski method, demonstrating a significant advancement in large-scale scintillator production. Comprehensive characterization using X-ray diffraction and electron probe micro-analysis confirmed the crystal’s structural integrity. Photoluminescence and radioluminescence spectroscopy demonstrated efficient bidirectional energy transfer between Ce3+ and Tb3+ ions, a critical mechanism enhancing the performance of the scintillator. X-ray imaging tests were performed using crystals with a thickness of 100 μm at the Aichi Synchrotron Radiation Center. Comparison with the industry-standard LuAG: Ce scintillator showed that the GTAGG: Ce crystal produced 2.4 times higher light output and achieved a high spatial resolution of 0.85 μm. The results indicated that GTAGG: Ce is suitable for the next generation of high-performance X-ray imaging detectors in scientific and medical imaging applications.
ISSN:2045-2322

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