Development of a ZnS/BO scintillator with low-afterglow phosphor

Nakamura, Tatsuya; Katagiri, Masaki*; Tsutsui, Noriaki*; To, Kentaro; Rhodes, N. J.*; Schooneveld, E. M.*; Oguri, Hirofumi*; Noguchi, Yasunobu*; Sakasai, Kaoru; Soyama, Kazuhiko

Journal of Physics; Conference Series, 528, p.012043_1 - 012043_8, 2014/07

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/528/1/012043

We have developed a ZnS/BO scintillator that has a high light output with less afterglow for neutron scattering instruments in the J-PARC/MLF. A commercial ZnS/LiF scintillator has widely been used for thermal neutron detection and its superior light output with low sensitivity has been proven. However its large afterglow followed with a primary emission light gives a limit on a detector count rate. A detector in the J-PARC/MLF should have a capability to cope with higher count rate than ever since the source flux is increasing up to 1 MW (300 kW at present). To address such problem we have developed the ZnS phosphor that exhibited a low after glow. We have also made a neutron-sensitive scintillator in combination with a BO by sintering method in search of high detector efficiency. The scintillator properties and the detector performances will be shown in the presentation.