Open AccessHollow nanosphere arrays with a high-index contrast for enhanced scintillating light output from β-Ga2O3 crystals
Author(s) -
Zhichao Zhu,
Bo Liu,
Huili Tang,
Chuanwei Cheng,
Ming Gu,
Jun Xu,
Chi Zhang,
Xiaoping Ouyang
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.418746
Subject(s) - materials science , optics , diffraction efficiency , diffraction , refractive index , total internal reflection , optoelectronics , reflection (computer programming) , physics , computer science , programming language
β-Ga 2 O 3 is a new type of fast scintillator with potential applications in medical imaging and nuclear radiation detection with high count-rate situations. Because of the severe total internal reflection with its high refractive index, the light extraction efficiency of β-Ga 2 O 3 crystals is rather low, which would limit the performance of detection systems. In this paper, we use hollow nanosphere arrays with a high-index contrast to enhance the light extraction efficiency of β-Ga 2 O 3 crystals. We can increase the transmission diffraction efficiency and reduce the reflection diffraction efficiency through controlling the refractive index and the thickness of the shell of the hollow nanospheres, which can lead to a significant increase in the light extraction efficiency. The relationships between the light extraction efficiency and the refractive index and thickness of the shell of the hollow nanospheres are investigated by both numerical simulations and experiments. It is found that when the refractive index of the shell of the hollow nanospheres is higher than that of β-Ga 2 O 3 , the light extraction efficiency is mainly determined by the diffraction efficiency of light transmitted from the surface with the hollow nanosphere arrays. When the refractive index of the shell is less than that of β-Ga 2 O 3 , the light extraction efficiency is determined by the ratio of the diffraction efficiency of the light transmitted from the surface with the hollow nanosphere arrays to the diffraction efficiency of the light that can escape from the lateral surface.