Large format li co-doped nai:Tl (nailtm) scintillation detector for gamma-ray and neutron dual detection

Li co-doped NaI:Tl (NaIL™) is a potentially game-changing scintillation material for gamma-ray and neutron dual detection. Li co-doping introduces efficient thermal neutron detection to one of the most well-established gamma-ray scintillators while retaining the favorable scintillation properties of standard NaI:Tl. NaIL exhibits excellent neutron-gamma pulse shape discrimination (PSD) capability with PSD figure of merit between 2 and 4. Simulations show that NaIL detectors with only 1-3% of enriched6Li doping can outperform many existing neutron detection solutions such as standard3He tubes or CLYC scintillator in terms of neutron detection capability. NaIL will be the first spectral gamma-neutron dual mode detector available in large formats, i.e. multi-liter crystal sizes. Saint-Gobain Crystals is actively working on industrialization of this material. Large format NaIL prototype detectors have been fabricated and tested. © 2018 The American Ceramic Society.