Fast fluorescence and scintillation properties of cerium and praseodymium doped lutetium orthoborates

Abstract Both calcite and vaterite polyerystalline phases of LuBO3 doped with cerium and praseodymium have been prepared and their fluorescence properties investigated in the visible, near UV and VUV regions. The systems exhibit a strong and rapid near UV-blue fluorescence typical of the 5d → 4f parity-allowed transitions of dopants. It is shown that the excitation transfers from excitions and electron-hole pairs to dopants are very efficient. The light yield can be three times more efficient than that of the well-known Bi4Ge3O12 scintillator for the best samples.