Of interest is research on materials that will lead to practical high-brightness scintillators with energy resolution significantly better than the currently available sodium iodide-based gamma
spectrometers and a t a cost lower than lanthanum bromide. Several new and promising formulations (including co-doping of known materials) have been discovered and synthesized in
small quantities, but there is a need for industrial crystal-growth facilities to find ways to produce practical sizes of high-quality scintillators at a reasonable cost. As an alternative to crystal growth,
techniques that produce high quality, large volume scintillators with good spectroscopic performance from the consolidation of powders are highly desirable. Moreover, a scintillator thick
enough to absorb high energy gamma rays must also be very transparent to its own emitted light. A laboratory demonstration is expected in Phase I, while Phase II should lead to the development of a
commercial process with a significant advantage over current crystal growth techniques.