Ceramic Scintillator Body and Scintillation Device

Abstract

A polycrystalline ceramic scintillator body includes a ceramic scintillating material comprising an oxide of gadolinium (Gd) and a second rare earth element (Re). The ceramic scintillating material has a composition, expressed in terms of molar percentage of oxide constituents, that includes greater than fifty-five percent (55%) Gd 2 O 3 and a minority percentage of Re 2 O 3 . The ceramic scintillating material includes an activator.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A scintillation device comprising:
 a polycrystalline ceramic scintillator body, comprising:   a ceramic scintillating material comprising Gd 2 O 3  and Re 2 O 3 , where Re is a second rare earth element distinct from Gd, the ceramic scintillating material having a composition, expressed in terms of molar percentage of oxide constituents, including greater than sixty-six percent (66%) Gd 2 O 3  and a minority percentage of Re 2 O 3 , wherein the ceramic scintillating material includes an activator.   
     
     
         2 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein Re 2 O 3  comprises Lu 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , or La 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         3 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein the activator includes a rare earth element. 
     
     
         4 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein the activator comprises less than or equal to five percent of the composition based on molar percentage. 
     
     
         5 . The scintillation device of  claim 4 , wherein the activator comprises less than or equal to two percent of the composition based on molar percentage. 
     
     
         6 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic scintillating material includes more than one second rare earth elements that are distinct from Gd. 
     
     
         7 . The scintillation device of  claim 1  wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a decay time of less than 1 ms. 
     
     
         8 . The scintillation device of  claim 7 , wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a decay time of less than or equal to approximately 0.5 ms. 
     
     
         9 . The scintillation device of  claim 8 , wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a decay time of less than or equal to approximately 0.1 ms. 
     
     
         10 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a density of at least 99.9% of theoretical density. 
     
     
         11 . The scintillation device of  claim 1 , wherein the composition of the ceramic scintillating material, expressed in terms of molar percentage of oxide constituents, includes at least five percent (5%) Re 2 O 3 . 
     
     
         12 . A ceramic scintillating powder comprising a ceramic scintillating material comprising Gd 2 O 3  and Re 2 O 3 , where Re is a second rare earth element distinct from Gd, the ceramic scintillating material having a composition including, expressed in terms of molar percentage of oxide constituents, greater than sixty-six percent (66%) Gd 2 O 3  and a minority percentage of Re 2 O 3 , wherein the ceramic scintillating material includes an activator. 
     
     
         13 . The ceramic scintillating powder of  claim 12 , wherein the activator comprises a rare earth element. 
     
     
         14 . The ceramic scintillating powder of  claim 12 , wherein the ceramic scintillating material comprises a plurality of substantially spherical particles and wherein at least ninety percent of the particles are characterized by a particle size of from approximately 50 nm to approximately 250 nm. 
     
     
         15 . The ceramic scintillating powder of  claim 14 , wherein at least ninety percent of the particles are characterized by a particle size of from approximately 66 nm to approximately 220 nm. 
     
     
         16 . A computed-tomography (CT) apparatus comprising:
 an array of scintillating devices, wherein each of the scintillating devices includes a polycrystalline ceramic scintillator body comprising:   a ceramic scintillating material comprising Gd 2 O 3  and Re 2 O 3 , where Re is a second rare earth element distinct from Gd, the ceramic scintillating material having a composition, expressed in terms of molar percentage of oxide constituents, including greater than sixty-six percent (66%) Gd 2 O 3  and a minority percentage of Re 2 O 3 ;   wherein the ceramic scintillating material includes an activator.   
     
     
         17 . The CT apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the activator comprises a rare earth element. 
     
     
         18 . The CT apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a decay time of less than or equal to approximately 1 ms. 
     
     
         19 . The CT apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the scintillator body is characterized by a decay time of less than or equal to approximately 0.1 ms. 
     
     
         20 . The CT apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the scintillator body has a density of at least 99.9% of theoretical density.