LuAG:Ce,Zr Scintillators for PET

描述（由申请人提供）：这个项目的总体目的是帮助提高研究和诊断应用的PET仪器的分辨率和降低成本。目前用于PET成像系统的单晶闪烁体价格昂贵且生产困难。此外，掺杂物分布不均会降低或限制分辨率。该项目将致力于通过开发生产成本更低、掺杂水平更高、均匀性更好的透明陶瓷闪烁体来提高分辨率和降低闪烁体成本。从激光透明钇铝石榴石（YAG）的发展和TA&T自己在其他透明陶瓷中的透明铝酸镁的发展中学习，我们将通过陶瓷闪烁体的发展来解决PET成像的成本和分辨率问题。TA&T与马里兰州Betheseda的Fast Imaging公司合作，很高兴提出开发一种纳米粉末合成陶瓷制造工艺，该工艺将展示lutetium铝石榴石（LuAG）的多晶版本，LuAG是一种具有巨大潜力的新型PET闪烁体材料，单晶生长困难且昂贵，可以很容易地制造并最终商业化。在该SBIR的第一阶段，我们将证明通过粉末合成和陶瓷加工方法可以生产出闪烁体质量的铈和锆掺杂陶瓷LuAG。这次演示将建立在TA&T在透明陶瓷铝酸镁、钇铝和镥钙钛矿铝方面的经验基础上。结果将由Fast Imaging公司进行实验验证。在第一阶段结果的指导下，在第二阶段，我们将通过调整锆共掺杂浓度和改进材料加工来优化闪烁体的性能。在第二阶段结束时，我们将开始小规模生产用于PET系统的闪烁体。Fast Imaging公司的参与证明了该项目具有很高的商业成功可能性。Fast Imaging公司正在开发新的PET系统，我们希望与他们合作，为他们的仪器提供闪烁体。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall purpose of this project is to help improve the resolution and lower the cost of PET instrumentation for both research and diagnostics applications. Single crystal scintillators, currently used in PET Imaging systems, are expensive and difficult to produce. In addition they suffer from inhomogeneous dopant distributions that can degrade or limit resolution. This project will work to improve resolution and lower scintillator costs by developing transparent ceramic scintillators with cheaper production costs, higher doping levels with much greater homogeneity. Learning from the development of transparent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) for lasers and TA&T's own developments of transparent magnesium aluminate among other transparent ceramics we will address cost and resolution in PET imaging through the development of ceramic scintillators. TA&T in partnership with Fast Imaging Company in Betheseda, MD is pleased to propose the development of a nanopowder synthesis - ceramic fabrication process that will demonstrate a polycrystalline version of lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG), a new PET scintillator material with great potential that has been difficult and expensive to grow as single crystals, can be readily fabricated and eventually commercialized. In the first phase of this SBIR we will demonstrate that scintillator quality cerium and zirconium doped ceramic LuAG can be produced by powder synthesis and ceramic processing methods. This demonstration will build on TA&T's experience with transparent ceramic magnesium aluminate, yttria and lutetium aluminum perovskite. The results will be experimentally validated by Fast Imaging Company. Guided by Phase I results, in Phase II we will optimize scintillator properties through adjustments in zirconium co-dopant concentrations and refinements of the material processing. At the end of Phase II we will begin small scale production of scintillators for incorporation into PET systems. This project has a high probability of commercial success as evidenced by the participation of Fast Imaging Company. Fast Imaging Company is developing new PET systems and we expect to partner with them to provide scintillators for their instruments.