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Title: Scintillating glass fiber-optic neutron sensors

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10162809

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has fabricated cerium-activated lithium silicate scintillating fibers via a hot-downdraw process. These fibers, which, as produced, typically have a transmission length (e{sup {minus}1} length) of greater than 2 meters, are found to undergo aging when subjected to room air. The aging, which is complete in a few weeks, reduces the transmission length to the order of 0.5 meter. Because of the high alkali content of the glass (on the order of 20--30 mole % lithia), we have attributed this aging to aqueous corrosion oat the polymer cladding/glass interface. changes in transmission with chemical treatment of the surface support the corrosion model. Fiber transmission performance has been preserved by modifying the hot-downdraw to a double crucible to produce glass-on-glass waveguides.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
10162809
Report Number(s):
PNL-SA-23184; CONF-940411-38; ON: DE94014562
Resource Relation:
Conference: Spring meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS),San Francisco, CA (United States),4-8 Apr 1994; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English