Luminescence, scintillation, and energy transfer in SiO2–Al2O3–B2O3–Gd2O3:Ce3+,Pr3+ glasses

Ce3+,Pr3+-codoped SiO2-Al2O3-B2O3-Gd2O3 glasses (SABG:Ce,Pr) were prepared by melt quenching under a CO reducing atmosphere. Luminescence properties were investigated under UV and X-ray excitations. A dominant emission band at 430nm belonging to the Ce3+:5d(1)4f transition was observed in the photo- and radio-luminescence spectra. The energy transfer occurs from this Ce3+ band toward the P-3(J) levels of Pr3+ with an efficiency of up to 24%, followed by the reduction of integrated luminescence intensity with an increasing Pr3+ concentration. This result is attributed to the increase in the reabsorption of Ce3+ luminescence and the non-radiative energy transfer toward the P-3(J) levels of Pr3+. The cross-relaxation process within the Pr3+ pairs can further diminish the total luminescence yield at high Pr3+ concentrations. The integral scintillation efficiency and light yield measurements were carried out and compared to the reference Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystal.