Growth and spectroscopic properties of 6Li- and 10B enriched crystals for heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers used in the rare events searches
Résumé
We present the crystal growth of centimeter-sized 6Li6Eu(10BO3)3 and Li6(Eu,Gd)(BO3)3 single crystals by combined Czochralski and Kyropoulos methods, initiated on specifically oriented seeds, with a heretofore unexplored concentration range for heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers application. The crystal structure and lattice thermal expansion of the former, obtained for the first time by single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the spectroscopic characterizations together with a consistent set of related thermodynamical properties measurements (magnetic susceptibility, specific heat), also unknown to date, are discussed. Finally, preliminary scintillation measurements at low temperature between 300 and 1100 nm under X-ray excitation are shown.