Single-crystalline films (SCFs) of the LuAG: Ce garnet grown using the liquid-phase epitaxy method onto YAG single-crystal (SC) substrates were investigated for possible applications as composite thermoluminescent (TL) detectors. Such detectors may help to register the different components of ionizing radiation fields with various penetration depths, e.g., heavy charged particles and gamma or beta rays. It was found that the TL signal of LuAG: Ce SCF sufficiently differs from that of the YAG substrate concerning both the temperature and wavelength of emissions. Furthermore, even by analyzing TL glow curves, it was possible to distinguish the difference between weakly and deeply penetrating types of radiation. Within a test involving the exposure of detectors with the mixed alpha/beta radiations, the doses of both components were determined with an accuracy of a few percent.
Keywords: composite detectors; crystals; garnets; liquid-phase epitaxy; single-crystalline films; thermoluminescence.