Open AccessLight output enhancement of scintillators by using mixed-scale microstructures
Author(s) -
Di Yuan,
Bo Liu,
Yaozhen Guo,
Zhichao Zhu,
Mingjie Liu,
Chuanwei Cheng,
Ming Gu,
Shuai Zhou,
Qiang Xu,
Liang Chen,
Jinliang Liu,
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.432114
Subject(s) - scintillator , optics , microlens , scintillation , materials science , optoelectronics , physics , detector , lens (geology)
Scintillators play an important role in the field of nuclear radiation detection. However, the light output of the scintillators is often limited by total internal reflection due to the high refractive indices of the scintillators. Furthermore, the light emission from scintillators typically has an approximately Lambertian profile, which is detrimental to the collection of the light. In this paper, we demonstrate a promising method to achieve enhancement of the light output from scintillators through use of mixed-scale microstructures that are composed of a photonic crystal slab and a microlens array. Simulations and experimental results both show significant improvements in the scintillator light output. The X-ray imaging characteristics of scintillators are improved by the application of the mixed-scale microstructures. The results presented here suggest that the application of the proposed mixed-scale microstructures to scintillators will be beneficial in the nuclear radiation detection field.