Zecotek’s Scintillation Crystals Ordered for Radiation Detectors

Zecotek Photonics Inc. said it has received its first homeland security-related orders for its lutetium fine silicate (LFS) scintillation crystals from OEMs developing radiation monitoring and detection devices.

The LFS crystals will be tested in devices used in homeland security and border protection and safety, specifically border security, land crossings, airports, harbors and strategic government buildings.

A scintillation detection system consists of scintillation crystals, photodetectors, an electric signal and processing electronics. The scintillation crystals generate photons in response to incident radiation, and a sensitive photo detector converts the light to an electrical signal.

The systems, which can be scaled up, are widely used in radiation detection, assay of radioactive materials and physics research because they can be made inexpensively with good quantum efficiency, Zecotek said. The devices can also measure both the intensity and energy of incident radiation.

Zecotek’s LFS scintillation crystals are ideal for the application of radiation detection, the company said, because they have higher spectroscopic resolution and a decay constant 10 times faster and more accurate than competing crystals.

Zecotek develops high-performance scintillation crystals, photodetectors, positron emission tomography scanning technologies, 3D autostereoscopic displays, 3D metal printing, and lasers for applications in medical, technology and industrial sectors. It operates three divisions: Imaging Systems, Optronics Systems and 3D Display Systems with labs located in Canada, Korea, Russia, Singapore and the U.S.