Understanding Neutron Radiography Post Exam Reading VIII-Part 2a of 2A

Desirable Scintillator Characteristics
A useful and practical scintillator needs to have most of the characteristics
listed below. Not all of these characteristics are ideally satisfied by each
scintillator and often a compromise is acceptable.
1. The scintillator should be of high density and large enough to ensure
adequate interaction with the ionizing radiation.
2. Efficient conversion of the electron’s kinetic energy into visible light is
required and the light yield should be linearly related to the deposited
electron kinetic energy.
3. The scintillator should be of good optical quality, transparent to its emitted
light and free of hydroscopic effects, and should have an index of
refraction close to that of glass.
4. The wavelength of the emitted light should be appropriate for matching to
a photomultiplier tube.
Charlie Chong/ Fion Zhang