Method of growing lutetium aluminum perovskite crystals and apparatus including lutetium aluminum perovskite crystal scintillators
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsCharles L. Melcher, Jeffrey S. Schweitzer
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Abstract
A method for producing lutetium aluminum perovskite crystals includes heat aging the crystal melt and maintaining the interface between a crystal and the melt from which it is pulled substantially flat as the crystal is grown. In a Czochralski growth method, the rate of rotation of the crystal and its diameter are typically controllable to provide the flat interface as the crystal is pulled. Crystals produced by this method exhibit less variability in scintillation behavior which allows larger crystals to be produced from a boule making them particularly suitable for spectroscopic uses. Such crystals find uses in borehole logging tools.
Claims13
A method of growing lutetium aluminum perovskite crystals, comprising forming a melt of lutetium aluminum perovskite, heating the melt to a temperature substantially above the melting point of lutetium aluminum perovskite and maintaining the melt at this temperature for a period of time, and then forming a crystal therefrom while maintaining a substantially flat interface between the crystal and the melt.
Lutetium aluminum perovskite when produced by a method comprising forming a melt of lutetium aluminum perovskite and forming a crystal therefrom while maintaining a substantially flat interface between the crystal and the melt.
A scintillator comprising a crystal of lutetium aluminum perovskite produced by a method comprising forming a melt of lutetium aluminum perovskite, heating the melt to a temperature substantially above the melting point of lutetium aluminum perovskite and maintaining the melt at this temperature for a period of time and forming a crystal therefrom while maintaining a substantially flat interface between the crystal and the melt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.