BGO crystal (chemical formula Bi4Ge3O12, also known as bismuth germanate crystal) is a scintillation crystal with excellent comprehensive performance. As a new generation of scintillation crystals, BGO is widely used in high-energy physics experiments such as the European Nuclear Research Institute (CERN) large-scale electron-positron collider.
BGO crystal exhibits stable physical and chemical properties, high mechanical strength, high density, high refractive index, and resistance to harsh environments. It shows excellent scintillating performance, for example, high scintillating efficiency, high light yield, fast decay time, and high energy resolution. BGO crystals are widely used in photomultiplier tubes, photoelectric counters, scintillation screens and other devices. This is used to detect high-energy particles, such as beta rays, gamma rays, etc. BGO scintillation crystals, as the direct medium through which dark matter (high-energy electrons and gamma rays) may annihilate, play an important role in dark matter detection. In addition, it has been extensively studied due to its short decay time in the visible band, photoluminescence, and two-photon absorption under the action of high-power lasers. These characteristics make BGO suitable for use as a scintillator in the fields of medicine, geological prospecting, nuclear physics, high energy physics and nonlinear optics.
Parameter
Material Features
| Chemical formula | Bi4Ge3O12 |
| Mohs hardness (Mho) | 5 |
| Melting point (℃) | 1044 |
| Hygroscopicity | No |
| Cleavage plane | No |
| Density (g/cm3) | 7.13 |
| Solubility (g/100gH2O) | N/A |
| Thermal expansion coeff (C-1) | 7*10-6 |
| Thermal conductivity coeff (W/mk) | 11.72 |
Scintillator Properties
| Wavelength(Max. Emission) (nm) | 480 |
| Wavelength range (nm) | 375~650 |
| Decay time (ns) | 300 |
| Light yield (photons/keV) | 8~10 |
| Refractive index | 2.15 |
| Energy resolution (%) | 12 |
| Radiation length (cm) | 1.118 |
| Optical transmission (um) | 0.15-12.5 |
| Transmittance (%) | >90(0.35-9um) |
| Reflection loss/surface (%) | 6.80 |
| Afterglow (%) | 0.005@3 ms |
| Neutron capture cross-section (bams) | 1.47 |
| Photoelectron yield [% of NaI(Tl)] (for γ-rays) | 15 – 20 |
Spertrum
Feature
- High density
- High light yield
- Fast decay time
- Chemically inert
- Dark matter detection
- Large nonlinear coefficient
- Excellent scintillating efficiency
Application
- Positron tomography scanner
- Electronic Collider
- High-energy ray experiment
- Dark matter detection
