Measurement of LYSO crystal light output and energy resolution improvement with acid etching

In this study, we investigated the impact of chemical etching on the light output and energy resolution of LYSO scintillators using simple, affordable laboratory equipment. We found that etching with phosphoric acid at temperatures between 180 °C and 190 °C improved the light output and energy resolution compared to mechanically polished crystals, even after minimal etching times. Our results show that with 7.5 min of chemical etching, the light output increase rate is 45.7%, and the relative energy resolution improvement is 12%.