Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection

Inorganic scintillators are widely used in various applications of gamma spectroscopy such as nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards, medical applications, space applications, and astronomy. This is due to good energy resolution, stable performance, somewhat low cost, and relatively high detection...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Surani Stuti, Logoglu Faruk, Albert Patrick, Wolfe Douglas, Flaska Marek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EDP Sciences 2023-01-01
Series:EPJ Web of Conferences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2023/14/epjconf_animma2023_10014.pdf
_version_ 1827372260610015232
author Surani Stuti
Logoglu Faruk
Albert Patrick
Wolfe Douglas
Flaska Marek
author_facet Surani Stuti
Logoglu Faruk
Albert Patrick
Wolfe Douglas
Flaska Marek
author_sort Surani Stuti
collection DOAJ
description Inorganic scintillators are widely used in various applications of gamma spectroscopy such as nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards, medical applications, space applications, and astronomy. This is due to good energy resolution, stable performance, somewhat low cost, and relatively high detection efficiency. However, many inorganic scintillators have high refractive indices and suffer significant light losses due to total internal reflection (TIR). This project proposes using optimized periodic nanostructures called photonic crystals to recover some of the light originally lost due to TIR. Photonic crystals provide an optical bridge (constructive interference) between the scintillator and the photosensor for the trapped light photons. Improving the light extraction can improve the energy and time resolutions of the scintillator, allowing for a wider range of research and industry applications. Photonic crystals can be optimized in terms of their dimensions, shapes, and materials to maximize the light extraction. Preliminary optimization tests were performed using a LYSO scintillator coupled with Si3N4 photonic crystals. First, a realistic light input source is obtained by simulating the scintillation process in Monte Carlo code Geant4. The simulated scintillation photons are collected at the LYSO-PMT boundary to obtain their energy and angular distributions. In the next step, a deterministic code OptiFDTD is used to simulate light interactions with different nanostructures. Currently, the simulations are limited to 2-D block nanostructures. The optimization tests vary the height, width, and spacing of the photonic crystals. Preliminary optimization tests show an improvement in the light transmission by more than 60%. The optimized geometry will be manufactured in the lab using various manufacturing techniques such as ion milling, electron beam lithography, or 3D printing. Various gamma sources will be used to experimentally characterize the LYSO scintillators with and without photonic crystals. These experiments will also be used to validate the simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the photonic crystals in improving the energy resolution. Once validated, the simulations will be used to determine optimized photonic crystals for other inorganic scintillators, such as bismuth germanate, sodium iodide, and lanthanum bromide.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T10:55:58Z
format Article
id doaj.art-27e587947b014e8692145730de5b3583
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2100-014X
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T10:55:58Z
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher EDP Sciences
record_format Article
series EPJ Web of Conferences
spelling doaj.art-27e587947b014e8692145730de5b35832024-01-26T16:33:48ZengEDP SciencesEPJ Web of Conferences2100-014X2023-01-012881001410.1051/epjconf/202328810014epjconf_animma2023_10014Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collectionSurani Stuti0Logoglu Faruk1Albert Patrick2Wolfe Douglas3Flaska Marek4Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear EngineeringKen and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear EngineeringDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering Pennsylvania State UniversityKen and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear EngineeringInorganic scintillators are widely used in various applications of gamma spectroscopy such as nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards, medical applications, space applications, and astronomy. This is due to good energy resolution, stable performance, somewhat low cost, and relatively high detection efficiency. However, many inorganic scintillators have high refractive indices and suffer significant light losses due to total internal reflection (TIR). This project proposes using optimized periodic nanostructures called photonic crystals to recover some of the light originally lost due to TIR. Photonic crystals provide an optical bridge (constructive interference) between the scintillator and the photosensor for the trapped light photons. Improving the light extraction can improve the energy and time resolutions of the scintillator, allowing for a wider range of research and industry applications. Photonic crystals can be optimized in terms of their dimensions, shapes, and materials to maximize the light extraction. Preliminary optimization tests were performed using a LYSO scintillator coupled with Si3N4 photonic crystals. First, a realistic light input source is obtained by simulating the scintillation process in Monte Carlo code Geant4. The simulated scintillation photons are collected at the LYSO-PMT boundary to obtain their energy and angular distributions. In the next step, a deterministic code OptiFDTD is used to simulate light interactions with different nanostructures. Currently, the simulations are limited to 2-D block nanostructures. The optimization tests vary the height, width, and spacing of the photonic crystals. Preliminary optimization tests show an improvement in the light transmission by more than 60%. The optimized geometry will be manufactured in the lab using various manufacturing techniques such as ion milling, electron beam lithography, or 3D printing. Various gamma sources will be used to experimentally characterize the LYSO scintillators with and without photonic crystals. These experiments will also be used to validate the simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the photonic crystals in improving the energy resolution. Once validated, the simulations will be used to determine optimized photonic crystals for other inorganic scintillators, such as bismuth germanate, sodium iodide, and lanthanum bromide.https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2023/14/epjconf_animma2023_10014.pdfphotonic crystalsnanostructureslight outputinorganic scintillators
spellingShingle Surani Stuti
Logoglu Faruk
Albert Patrick
Wolfe Douglas
Flaska Marek
Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
EPJ Web of Conferences
photonic crystals
nanostructures
light output
inorganic scintillators
title Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
title_full Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
title_fullStr Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
title_full_unstemmed Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
title_short Inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2-D photonic crystals to improve light collection
title_sort inorganic scintillator surface enhancements with 2 d photonic crystals to improve light collection
topic photonic crystals
nanostructures
light output
inorganic scintillators
url https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2023/14/epjconf_animma2023_10014.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT suranistuti inorganicscintillatorsurfaceenhancementswith2dphotoniccrystalstoimprovelightcollection
AT logoglufaruk inorganicscintillatorsurfaceenhancementswith2dphotoniccrystalstoimprovelightcollection
AT albertpatrick inorganicscintillatorsurfaceenhancementswith2dphotoniccrystalstoimprovelightcollection
AT wolfedouglas inorganicscintillatorsurfaceenhancementswith2dphotoniccrystalstoimprovelightcollection
AT flaskamarek inorganicscintillatorsurfaceenhancementswith2dphotoniccrystalstoimprovelightcollection