1 research outputs found
Enhancing Large-Area Scintillator Detection with Photonic Crystal Cavities
Scintillators
are materials that emit visible photons
when bombarded
by high-energy particles (X-ray, γ-ray, electrons, neutrinos,
etc.) and are crucial for applications, including X-ray imaging and
high-energy particle detection. Here, we show that one-dimensional
(1D) photonic crystal (PhC) cavities, added externally to scintillator
materials, can be used to tailor the intrinsic emission spectrum of
scintillators via the Purcell effect. The emission spectral peaks
can be shifted, narrowed, or split, improving the overlap between
the scintillator emission spectrum and the quantum efficiency (QE)
spectrum of the photodetector. As a result, the overall photodetector
signal can be enhanced by over 200%. The use of external PhC cavities
especially benefits thick and large-area scintillators, which are
needed to stop particles with ultrahigh energy, as in large-area neutrino
detectors. Our findings should pave the way to greater versatility
and efficiency in the design of scintillators for applications, including
X-ray imaging and positron emission tomography