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BGO Scintillator Crystal

13 Aug 2019

Description

BGO Scintillator Crystal—A crystal used for high energy physics with nonlinear effects

As a novel generation of scintillation crystals, BGO shows the superior characteristics including high density, well chemical resistance, fine energy resolution, large refractive index, non-hygroscopic nature and high mechanical strength, which make it utilized in high energy physics experiments like the large electron-positron collider in CERN. It is worth noting that the BGO scintillating crystals as the direct medium for the possible annihilation of dark matter (energetic electrons and gamma rays) play an important role in the dark matter detection. In addition, compared with conventional nonlinear optical crystals, BGO exhibits three- and five-order non- linear absorption response in the visible and infrared optical band, respectively. It performed as well as the other excellent nonlinear optical materials in the nonlinear optical field due to its large nonlinear coefficient. Besides, as the typical photorefractive crystal, BGO crystal is of certain interest in view of its diverse application in opto- electronics and laser physics, such as four-wave frequency mixing and optical switching.

Scintillators can efficiently convert high-energy particles and radiation into light  with a wavelength in or around the visible spectral regions, and they are widely used in nuclear medical imaging, oil logging, and high-energy physics applications. Bismuth germanate (Bi4Ge3O12 or BGO) has been extensively studied because its interesting luminescent properties, like short decay time, photo, radioluminescence and the two-photon absorption property under the high-power laser at the wavelength of visible waveband. These properties make BGO suitable to be applied as scintillators in medicine, in geological explorations, nuclear physics, high energy physics and nonlinear optical field.

Parameter

Chemical formula Bi4Ge3O12
Mohs hardness (Mho) 5
Melting point (℃) 1044
Hygroscopicity No
Cleavage plane No
Density (g/cm3) 7.13
Solubility (g/100gH2O) N/A
Thermal expansion coeff (C-1) 7*10-6
Thermal conductivity coeff (W/mk) 11.72
Wavelength(Max. Emission) (nm) 480
Wavelength range (nm) 375~650
Decay time (ns) 300
Light yield (photons/keV) 8~10
Refractive index 2.15
Energy resolution (%) 12
Radiation length (cm) 1.118
Optical transmission (um) 0.15-12.5
Transmittance (%) >90(0.35-9um)
Reflection loss/surface (%) 6.80
Afterglow (%) 0.005@3 ms
Neutron capture cross-section (bams) 1.47
Photoelectron yield [% of NaI(Tl)] (for γ-rays) 15 – 20

BGO Emission SpectrumBGO toal attenuation with coherent scatteringBGO Transmission spectra

Feature

    • Short decay time
    • Fine energy resolution
    • High density
    • Large refractive index
    • Non-hygroscopic nature
    • Large nonlinear coefficient

Application

  • Positron tomograph
  • High energy physics experiments
  • Large electron-positron collider
  • Four-wave frequency mixing
  • Optical switching
  • Dark matter detection

 

CONTACT DETAILS
Nanjing Crylink Photonics Co.,Ltd
No.3, Hengda Road, Economic and Technological Development Zone, Nanjing, China
No.200,Zhaoxian Road,Jiading District,Shanghai City
Nanjing
Jiangsu
210038
China
Tel: (86)025-68790684
Fax: (86)025-68790685
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