Composite thermoluminescent detectors based on the Ce3+ doped LuAG/YAG and YAG/LuAG epitaxial structures

This work presents the first results on creation of composite thermoluminescent (TL) detectors based on the film-crystal epitaxial structures of garnet compounds for the simultaneous registration of the mixed ionization fluxes containing α- and β-particles. Two types of TL detectors containing combinations of the single crystalline films (SCFs) and single crystal (SC) substrates of Ce3+ doped Y3Al5O12 (YAG) and Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) garnets, were considered. The LuAG:Ce SCF/YAG:Ce SC and YAG:Ce SCF/LuAG:Ce SC epitaxial structures were grown by the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) method from (overcooled) supercooled? melt-solution based on the PbO–B2O3 flux and their thermoluminescent properties were examined under excitation by α- and β-particles of 242Am' and 90Sr –90Y sources. The registration of α- and β-particles was performed using differences between TL glow curves of SCFs and substrates. The first results on separation of TL signals from SCF and SC components for LuAG:Ce SCF/YAG:Ce SC and YAG:Ce SCF/LuAG:Ce SC epitaxial structures under α- and β-excitation are encouraging. This enables consideration of these epitaxial structures as prototypes at the next steps of producing the composite TL detectors based on different oxide materials using the LPE growth method. •Creation of composite TL detector using LPE method is considered.•Significant differences in the TL properties of LuAG:Ce and YAG:Ce films and crystals are observed.•α- and β-particles were detected simultaneously using LuAG:Ce/YAG:Ce and YAG:Ce/LuAG:Ce epitaxial structures.