CeF3, PrF3 and NdF3 single crystals with 1 inch in diameter have been grown under CF4 atmosphere by the modified Czochralski technique. PrF3 exhibited a single sharp emission at about 400 nm, with a light intensity comparable to that of BGO and a decay time of 510ns. Lu-doping was effective to increase the luminescence efficiency of CeF3. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.