Improvement of Energy Resolution and Neutron–Gamma Discrimination of NaI:Tl,⁶Li Single Crystal Scintillators by Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺ Co-Doping

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NaI:Tl,6Li single crystals, due to low use cost and an efficient gamma ray (γ) and neutron (n) detection capability, have been regarded as promisingn/γscintillators. In this work, NaI:Tl,6Li single crystals co-doped with different Ca²⁺and Sr²⁺concentrations were grown by the multiampoule Bridgman method. Theirγ-ray energy resolution andn/γdiscrimination were improved. Theγ-ray energy resolution at 662 keV was improved from 7.0% to 6.0% by Ca²⁺or Sr²⁺co-doping, despite at the expense of scintillation yield by around 20%. The pulse shape discrimination (PSD), expressed as figure-of-merits (FoMs) for neutron andγ-ray, was enhanced from 4.65 for NaI:Tl,6Li to 5.85 for Ca²⁺co-doping and 5.72 for Sr²⁺co-doping. This work not only highlights the effectiveness of the co-doping strategy on the improvement of NaI:Tl,6Li single crystal scintillator but also makes the crystal more competitive toward neutron andγ-ray detection applications.