Evaluation of scintillation properties of α- and β-SiAlON phosphors under focused microbeam irradiation using ion-beam-induced luminescence analysis

Abstract Two different types of SiAlON phosphors, namely, α-SiAlON:Eu and β-SiAlON:Eu, that have been developed as scintillators are evaluated for their luminescent properties by ion-beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) analysis under 2–3-MeV H + -microbeam irradiation. The IBIL spectra show that both α-SiAlON:Eu and β-SiAlON:Eu have bright luminescence similar to that of ZnS:Ag scintillators. The α-SiAlON:Eu and β-SiAlON:Eu IBIL spectra have peaks at wavelengths of 605 and 540 nm, respectively, which lie in the preferred range of general optical sensors. As the irradiation progresses, the IBIL intensity of conventional ZnS:Ag scintillators decreases sharply, whereas that of the two SiAlONs remains largely unchanged. Moreover, the thermal resistivity of β-SiAlON:Eu is measured by IBIL under temperature control. The IBIL intensity retains half of its original value at the highest temperature of 773 K. The present experimental results reveal the two different types of SiAlON to be potential candidates for a scintillation monitoring tool for harsh environments in which intense beam irradiation at high temperature can be expected.