The Gd-3(Al,Ga)(5)O-12:Ce single-crystalline films were grown by a liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique from BaO-B2O3-BaF2 flux. The scintillation characteristics were investigated and compared to the bulk Gd-3(Al2.7Ga2.3)O-12:Ce single crystal (SC) grown by the Czochralski technique.
The light yield (LY) and energy resolution were measured using an R6231 photomultiplier. At 5.5-MeV alpha-particles, the LY value of 7100 photons/MeV obtained for Gd3Al2.62Ga2.38O12:Ce-LPE sample is lower than that of 9310 photons/ MeV for the Gd-3(Al2.7Ga2.3)O-12:Ce-SC sample, whereas an energy resolution of the LPE sample is better (5.9% versus 6.6%).
The ratio of LY value under excitation with alpha- and gamma-rays (alpha/gamma ratio) was also determined. Faster scintillation decay time and lower slowcomponent content were obtained for LPE samples with respect to Gd-3(Al2.7Ga2.3)O-12:Ce-SC one.