Energy Resolution of the GAGG:Ce Scintillation Crystal for Gamma-ray Detection

Abstract

The GAGG:Ce is a new scintillation crystal which is getting the attention of scientists now because this crystal was developed to be very high light yield, high density, and non-hygroscopic crystal, which is suitable for use in medical diagnostics and research in high energy physics. In this work, we tested the energy resolution property of the crystal for gamma-ray detection comparing with the classical one, the BGO crystal. Both crystals are tested with gamma ray sources ranging from 31 keV to 1,408 keV. At 662 keV energy from the Cs-137 radioactive source, the energy resolution of the GAGG:Ce crystal is 7.11%, which is better than 9.28% obtained from the BGO crystal. The light yield of the GAGG:Ce crystal is 41,300 ph/MeV which more than that of the BGO crystal about 5 times. From the experiment result, the energy resolution of both crystals strongly relates to their intrinsic resolution and light yield non-proportionality. Since the GAGG:Ce crystal possesses many good properties, it has a high potential to replace old crystals, especially in medical imaging and high energy physics research.