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This section provides an overview for scintillators as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 6 scintillator manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked scintillator companies as of April, 2025: 1.Zievert, Inc., 2.Ted Pella, Inc., 3.Hitachi Metals, Ltd..
Table of Contents
A scintillator is a general term for materials that emit light when exposed to charged particles or radiation.
They are classified into inorganic and organic scintillators. Inorganic scintillators, suitable for detecting gamma rays and X-rays, are made from crystals with high atomic numbers. They emit a large amount of light and have excellent energy resolution but respond slowly. Organic scintillators, including plastic and liquid types, are inexpensive, lightweight, and respond quickly, making them ideal for detecting alpha and beta rays.
Scintillators are used in various fields as part of scintillation detectors.
Scintillators convert radiation into light, ranging from ultraviolet to visible. This light is then transformed into electrical signals by photomultiplier tubes or opto-semiconductors, which are processed to generate images and other radiation-related information.
Applications include X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), positron emission tomography (PET), airport baggage screening, food inspection, non-destructive testing of electronic components, exploration of oil and mineral resources, nuclear reactor radiation monitoring, and research in particle, nuclear, and space physics.
The emission principle of scintillators varies between inorganic and organic types.
In inorganic scintillators, charged particles or radiation excite electrons from the valence to the conduction band. The recombination of these electrons with holes in the valence band produces scintillation light, corresponding to the energy difference. Impurities in the crystal lattice create new energy levels, allowing the emission of visible light from these modified structures.
Organic scintillators emit light through the excitation of individual molecules. Radiation excites electrons to higher energy states, predominantly to the first excited state, resulting in fluorescence. Some electrons may also transition to higher excited states before returning to the first excited state and eventually to the ground state, emitting phosphorescence or delayed fluorescence.
The structure of scintillators differs between inorganic and organic types.
Examples include NaI:Tl, LSO:Ce, lead tungstate (PbWO4), gadolinium silicate (GSO: Gd2SiO5 with Ce), and bismuth germanate (BGO: Bi4Ge3O12). NaI:Tl, a commonly used scintillator, must be sealed to prevent degradation from moisture absorption.
LSO:Ce, an oxide-based scintillator, emits light via transitions in Ce3+ and offers faster response times compared to NaI:Tl.
Organic scintillators include crystal, liquid, and plastic types. Liquid scintillators, such as naphthalene, are durable against strong irradiation. Organic molecules like anthracene and stilbene, with their pi-electronic structures, offer multiple excited states but are less commonly used due to their anisotropic response and processing challenges. Plastic scintillators, created by dissolving organic emitters in plastic, are user-friendly and suitable for detecting alpha and beta rays, though less effective for gamma rays.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Zievert, Inc. is a distributor of ionizing radiation detectors and instruments founded in 1992 and operating as a subsidiary of CapeSym, Inc. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, the company is the exclusive sales representative of ATOMTEX Spe. products in North America. They stock standard and spectroscopic personal radiation detectors, radiation portal monitors for large-scale operations, handheld radiation search tools, and radiation survey meters. Zievert supplies clients like US Customs and Border Protection, Environmental Protection Agency, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation was founded in 1933 and has a head office in Tokyo, Japan. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation provides products including chemicals, industrial gases, and health care products to customers globally. Mitsubishi Chemical Group’s performance products division manufactures and distributes. functional food materials, electronic and electrical components, specialty chemicals, and other products. Mitsubishi Chemical health care products include pharmaceuticals, drug discovery solutions, diagnostic reagents, and instruments for medical use. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation also provides other services such as engineering, information systems, logistics, and consulting.
Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., established in 1953 and headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a manufacturer of sensors and emitters for both visible and invisible light. It stocks products like LEDs, lamps, and photodiodes used in several industries, including consumer electronics, dental imaging, and environmental monitoring. The sensor and light source components are also available as modules and units that can be incorporated into systems the company develops, like optical measurement systems or imaging systems. The ISO 9001-certified company stocks over 15,000 devices, units, and systems that ship to over 100 destinations worldwide, and it has ten research and production bases.
Toshiba Materials Co., Ltd is a Japanese-based manufacturer and retailer of fine ceramics, magnetic parts, special metals, and alloys founded in 2003. They manufacture fine ceramics for medical equipment, aircraft engines, fan motor, and machine tools, including aluminum nitride and silicon nitride. A tungsten and molybdenum product line also includes wires, probe pins, rotating anodes, and parts of these metals or their alloys. Toshiba Materials also manufactures materials and coatings, including niobium, titanium, and crAix alloy, used in producing semiconductors.
Ted Pella, Inc., established in 1996, is a manufacturer and distributor of supplies, instruments, and laboratory equipment for electron, light, and atomic force microscopy. The company, which is based in Redding, California, offers products including adhesives, microscope cameras, chemicals, cleaning systems, and slide covers. Ted Pella has partnered with companies worldwide that distribute their products on their behalf, including Mastech International, Prositech, Agar Scientific, Katrin Field Incorporated, and Techforce Development Limited.
Ranking as of April 2025
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zievert, Inc. |
33.0%
|
| 2 | Ted Pella, Inc. |
17.9%
|
| 3 | Hitachi Metals, Ltd. |
13.4%
|
| 4 | Toshiba Materials Co., Ltd. |
12.3%
|
| 5 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
11.7%
|
| 6 | Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. |
11.7%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the scintillator page as of April 2025. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
Japan
|
4 | 80.0% |
|
United States of America
|
1 | 20.0% |
16 products found
16 products
Chiyoda Technol Co., Ltd.
270+ people viewing
Last viewed: 15 hours ago
It enables dose measurement of small radiation fields without any disturbance caused by the detector. EXRADIN W2 is made of water-equivalent plasti...
2 models listed
Fujitoku Co., Ltd.
180+ people viewing
Last viewed: 10 hours ago
■Summary By making the plastic scintillators we handle thinner than conventional limits, it is now possible to measure beta rays while reducing the...
Special Electronic Circuit Co., Ltd.
200+ people viewing
Last viewed: 12 hours ago
This is a position-sensitive charged particle detector with 16 pieces of 6cm square plasticine arranged in a row. The photodetector uses MPPC (manu...
Konoshima Chemical Co.,Ltd.
150+ people viewing
Last viewed: 1 day ago
■Light-emitting materials excited by electron beam or radiation irradiation In the fields of physical measurement and nuclear medicine, they are us...
