Comparison of CLYC vs. CsI in a hand-held detector

Fraunhofer-Institut für Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Trendanalysen, Germany

^* monika.risse@int.fraunhofer.de

Published online: 21 November 2023

Abstract

The detection of radioactive and nuclear (RN) material is gaining importance due to the current political situation. Fast and reliable results from on-site measurements require devices to be transportable, quickly ready-for-use, and easily operable. This has driven the development of measurement devices based on materials which enable simultaneous detection of gammas and neutrons. A detector material with these properties is the scintillator Cs₂LiYCl₆:Ce (CLYC). It combines the characteristics of a medium resolution gamma ray detector like Sodium iodide (NaI) or Cesium iodide (CsI) and a ³He proportional counter tube for the detection of neutrons. In this paper the performance of a CLYC based device was compared to one using a traditional scintillator. The exemplary study was carried out on the basis of two RadEYE devices from Thermo: the RadEye SPRD GN with a CLYC crystal and the RadEYE SPRD with a CsI crystal were compared regarding gamma detection. Moreover, the neutron detection capability of the CLYC device was investigated. Dynamic tests were performed using our qualification test system (QuTeSt). This allows repeatable tests with radioactive sources passing the device under test at controlled conditions. Applicable standards and test procedures for Radiation Isotope Identifiers (RIID) from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and those released during the ITRAP+10 program were applied. Several tests were performed using radioactive sources covering a wide energy range.