Advatech Baf2 Barium Fluoride Scintillator crystal
BaF2 - Barium Fluoride - is a salt compound of barium and fluorine. In crystal form it is optically transparent over a wide range from the UV through to the IR and widely used to fabricate optical components. It is also has a well established scintillator material.

BaF2 scintillator crystals:
  • Are one of the fastest scintillators with a sub-nanosecond decay time
  • Produce optical emissions in the form of a ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ pulses
  • Have good ‘rad hard’ properties (up to 105 rad)
  • Do not glow in the UV
  • Have an optical output independent of temperature

BaF2 scintillator crystals - issues to be aware of:
  • Slightly hygroscopic with long term exposure to moisture effective the quality of the surface
  • Very sensitive to thermal shock which can cause fracturing

BaF2 scintillator crystals are useful scintillators for applications such as:
  • Time-of-Flight measurements
  • Positron lifetime studies
  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
  • Those looking to discriminate between gamma rays and neutrons
  • Specialist applications in nuclear and high energy physics
BaF2 Scintillation Crystals
- Properties -
Baf2 mass attenuation coefficients
BaF2 Scintillator
Emission Spectrum
BaF2 Mass Attenuation
Coefficients
BaF2 Scintillator Emission Spectrum
BaF2 Scintillation Crystals
- Optical Properties -
Property Units Value
Wavelength
(Max. Emission)
nm 310 (Slow)
195/220 (Fast)
Wavelength Range nm 170 - 460
Decay Times ns 630 (Slow)
0.87/0.88 (Fast)
Light Yield photons/keV 10 (Slow)
1.9 (Fast)
Photoelectron Yield % of NaI(Tl) 16 (Slow)
3 (Fast)
Radiation Length cm 2.026
Radiation Length g.cm-2 9.91
Moliere Radius cm 3.117
Optical Transmission µm 0.15 - 12.5
Transmittance % >90 (0.35 - 9µm)
Refractive Index % 1.49 (9@ 310nm)
Reflection Loss/Surface % 6.8
BaF2 Scintillation Crystals
- Mechanical Properties -
Property Units Value
Chemical Formula BaF2
Density g/cm³ 4.893
Atomic Number (Effective) 52.2
Crystal Structure Cubic
Lattice Constant nm 0.6196
Melting Point ºC 1386
Thermal Expansion Coeff. C⁻¹ 18.4 x 10‾⁶
Hardness Mho 3
Hygroscopic Slightly
Solubility g/100gH₂0 0.17 (23ºC)
BaF2 Scintillation Crystals
- Further Reading/Publications -
Barium Fluoride - Wikipedia
Barium Fluoride - Details - Refractive Index
Barium Fluoride - Details - Chemical, Physical Properties
Barium Fluoride - Details - Optical Properties
Barium Fluoride - Characteristics of Scintillation Crystals
Barium Fluoride - Light Yield / Surface Treatment
Barium Fluoride - Light Yield
Barium Fluoride - PET Application
Barium Fluoride - Use in Optics
BaF2 Scintillation Crystals
- Sizes -
Diameters: 140mm max.
Lengths: 150mm max.
Thinnest Thickness: TBA