Radiation tolerant YAG: Ce scintillation crystals grown under reducing Ar+CO atmosphere

The scintillation properties and radiation hardness of undoped and Ce doped YAG crystals, which were grown from tungsten crucibles in the Ar + CO atmosphere and annealed under different conditions, have been evaluated. The scintillation crystals obtained under such conditions have a high scintillation yield, demonstrate short scintillation kinetics with the major component of ∼60 ns, and demonstrate high radiation resistance when irradiated with both γ-quanta and high energy protons. The obtained results open up the opportunity to produce high-temperature garnet crystals using iridium-free technology, which forms the basis for a technology for mass production at an affordable price.