Influence of Sb on the Scintillation Properties of Lead Tungstate Crystal

Sb-doped lead tungstate (PWO) crystals were grown and investigated. The measurements of Sb content in crystals indicated that the segregation coefficient of Sb in PWO is about 0.63. Even with a little Sb³⁺ introduced into PWO crystal, the transmission, especially the light yield was enhanced significantly. Furthermore, after the Sb-doped PWO crystals were annealed, not only the fast component still remained a high percentage but also the radiation hardness was improved evidently. The main reason may be that Sb-doping can compensate the composition deficiency and then reduce the density of hole centers such as Pb³⁺and O^-.