Scintillation responses of Eu ₂ O ₃ ‐doped lithium gallium silicate glass and glass ceramics

Glass ceramics have gained research attention for use in scintillator applications. In this work, Eu 2 O 3 ‐doped lithium gallium silicate glass and its glass ceramics were synthesized, and the luminescence characteristics were investigated. To fabricate glass ceramics, the Eu 2 O 3 ‐doped lithium gallium silicate glass was heated for 3 h at 740°C or 763°C. A transparent glass ceramic with a high transmittance of approximately 70% at 650 nm was obtained by the heat treatment at 740°C. Luminescence derived from the electronic transition of 4f→4f levels in Eu 3+ ions appeared under visible light (530 nm) or X‐ray. It was found that the scintillation intensity was improved due to the formation of crystalline phases in the silicate glass host matrix during the heat treatment at 740°C. According to the Judd–Ofelt theory, the Eu 3+ luminescent ions might be present mainly in a glass phase of the transparent glass ceramic, and the enhancement of the scintillation intensity should be derived from the improvement of the energy transfer efficiency in the host matrix.