Thin films of barium fluoride scintillator deposited by chemical vapor deposition

Abstract We have used metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technology to coat optical substrates with thin (∼1−10 μm thick) films of inorganic BaF 2 scintillator. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs indicate that high-quality epitaxial crystalline film growth was achieved, with surface defects typically smaller than optical wavelengths. The scintillation light created by the deposition of ionizing radiation in the scintillating films was measured with a photomultiplier and shown to be similar to bulk melt-grown crystals. The results demonstrate the potential of these composite optical materials for planar and fiber scintillation radiation detectors in high energy and nuclear physics, synchrotron radiation research, and in radiation and X-ray imaging and monitoring.