V.YU. Baranov

This paper presents a study of gamma irradiation effects on the optical and scintillation properties of pure and yttrium-doped BaF ₂ crystals with yttrium concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 mol%. The optical transmittance, light output, and energy resolution of twenty-four 1×1×1 cm ³ samples were measured before and after ⁶⁰ Co gamma irradiation, with absorbed doses up to 3.56 Mrad. In pure BaF ₂ samples, no noticeable degradation in scintillation properties was observed with increasing absorbed dose. In yttrium-doped samples, a deterioration of scintillation properties is observed, with the fast component of crystal luminescence deteriorating more than the slow one. The correlation between the loss of light output and the radiation-induced decrease of optical transmittance, together with the absence of structural changes in Raman spectra, indicates that the degradation of scintillation properties is primarily due to increased self-absorption, rather than to disruption of the scintillation mechanism.

Based on an unconventional application of commercially available power GaN transistors, a voltage-sensitive amplifier circuit was proposed for a scintillation sandwich-type lead-plastic calorimeter cell using SiPMs, intended for detectors operating under high-radiation conditions. The radiation hardness of the selected GaN transistors under gamma irradiation was investigated. Defect formation in the transistor structures was studied using C-V characteristics. The results demonstrate that GaN transistors can serve as a promising element base for scintillation detectors operating in high-luminosity accelerator environments.