Thermoluminescence properties of LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si pellets in radiation dosimetry

Sintered LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si thermoluminescence (TL) pellets have been developed for application in radiation dosimetry. LiF:M,Cu,Na,Si TL pellets were made from TL powders using a sintering process, that is, pressing and heat treatment. These pellets have a diameter of 4.5 mm, and a thickness of 0.8 mm are blue in colour and have a mass of 28 mg each. After 400 pellets had been produced they were irradiated with 137Cs gamma radiation and samples having a sensitivity within a +/-5% standard deviation were selected for experimental use. In the present study, the physical and dosimetric properties of LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL pellets were investigated for their emission spectrum, dose response, energy response and fading characteristics. Photon irradiation for the experiments was carried out using X ray beams and a 137Cs gamma source at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The average energies and the dose were in the range of 20-662 keV and 10(-6) - 10(2) Gy respectively. The glow curves were measured with a manual type thermoluminescence dosimetry reader (system 310, Teledyne) at a constant nitrogen flux and a linear heating rate. For a constant heating rate of 5 degrees C.s(-1). the main dosimetric peak of the glow curve appeared at 234 degrees C, its activation energy was 2.34 eV and the frequency factor was 1.00 x 10(23). The TL emission spectrum appeared at the blue region centred at 410 nm. A linearity of photon dose response was maintained up to 100 Gy. The photon energy responses relative to the 137Cs response were within +/-20% in the overall photon energy region. No fading of the TL sensitivity of the pellets stored at room temperature was found over the course of a year. Therefore LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL pellets can be used for personal dosimetry, but more research is needed to improve the characteristics for repeated use.     

Thermoluminescence of terbium sensitised by samarium in CaF2

Thermoluminescence (TL) in sintered CaF2 doped with Tb4O7 has been studied for UV and X-ray irradiation. Three TL glow peaks for the Tb4O7 doped sample appeared in the temperature regions of about (1) 347-353 K, (2) 378-383 K and (3) 453-458 K, when heated at a rate of 20 K min(-1) after UV or X-ray irradiation at room temperature. It has been found that the 378 K peak intensity of the samples co-doped with Tb4O7 and Sm2O3 became stronger when compared with those doped with only terbium or samarium ions, and the TL peaks of (1) 347-353 K and (3) 453-458 K were not observed. The intensity of the 378 K peak of the co-doped sample was 12.9 times that of the sample doped only with Tb4O7. From the TL spectra and the excitation and emission spectra of photoluminescence for the CaF2 doped activators, it is concluded that the TL of Tb3+ ions is sensitised by the existence of Sm3+ ions. The 378 K TL peak may also be suitable for UV radiation dosimetry.     

CaF_2∶Mn热释光材料的研究

研究了ＣａＦ２∶Ｍｎ热释光材料的制备方法和发光曲线、剂量响应曲线、响应的时间衰退特性、剂量率响应、能量响应等剂量学特性。结果表明,ＣａＦ２∶Ｍｎ是一种理想的热释光材料,可用于抗辐射加固研究中半导体材料及电子器件辐射吸收剂量的测量     

Discrimination of photon from proton irradiation using glow curve feature extraction and vector analysis

Two types of thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs), the Harshaw LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) and CaF(2):Tm (TLD-300) were investigated for their glow curve response to separate photon and proton irradiations. The TLDs were exposed to gamma irradiation from a (137)Cs source and proton irradiation using a positive ion accelerator. The glow curve peak structure for each individual TLD exposure was deconvolved to obtain peak height, width, and position. Simulated mixed-field glow curves were obtained by superposition of the experimentally obtained single field exposures. Feature vectors were composed of two kinds of features: those from deconvolution and those taken in the neighbourhood of several glow curve peaks. The inner product of the feature vectors was used to discriminate among the pure photon, pure proton and simulated mixed-field irradiations. In the pure cases, identification of radiation types is both straightforward and effective. Mixed-field discrimination did not succeed using deconvolution features, but the peak-neighbourhood features proved to discriminate reliably.     

Investigation of thermoluminescence response and kinetic parameters of CaMgB2O5: Tb3+ phosphor against UV-C radiation for dosimetric application

The thermoluminescence (TL) response and kinetic parameters of CaMgB₂O₅:Tb³⁺ phosphor against UV-C radiations (λ?=?254 nm) had been investigated. The powder X-ray diffraction results confirm the formation of the monoclinic phase. TL results depict that the glow curve exhibited a broad peak centered at 430 K. The position and the shape of the curve were not influenced by the increase in dose, which is one of the requirements for dosimetric application. TL response curve was studied and showed a linear behavior against the studied dose (10–180 min). The effect of different heating rates on the TL intensity and the position of the glow peak were discussed in detail. In addition to this, the detailed examination of the glow peaks using variable heating rate and glow curve deconvolution methods was done to reveal the trapping parameters and to check the suitability of the present nanophosphor for UV-C dosimetry application.

     

Intercomparison of dosimetry systems based on CaF2:Mn TL detectors

The responses of readings by the TL dosimetry system MR200 TL developed in-house and used at JSI and the TOLEDO TL system used at RBI are compared. Ten measurements at different doses ranging from 0.01 mSv to 5 Sv were carried out. A set of 36 dosemeters with three pellets of CaF2:Mn were irradiated in radiation fields of 137Cs and 60Co. Analysis of the measured results shows that at doses below 0.1 Sv, readers' outputs do not differ >5% from each other. At doses >1 Sv, the results obtained by the MR200 reader must be corrected with a known factor. Finally, the reproducibility of the results from the MR200 was tested.     

Glow peak temperature, supralinearity and LET dependence of TLDs--correlation studies

The study of the well separated low and high temperature glow peaks in CaSO4:Dy and CaF2:Tm was undertaken to develop comparative data on supralinearity of low and high temperature glow peaks for their use in the estimation of elapsed time of exposure and to analyse their responses to low and high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. In CaSO4:Dy, unlike its dosimetric peak, the structure of glow peaks at approximately 140 and 400 degrees C remains unchanged (peak position changes within 4 degrees C) with 60Co gamma-ray exposure up to 1 kGy air kerma. The glow peaks at 140 degrees C exhibited higher supralinearity than that of the peaks at 240 and 400 degrees C. In CaF2:Tm, 110 degrees C glow peak exhibited higher supralinearity and higher response to high-LET radiation as compared with 150 degrees C glow peak. No correlation between glow peak temperature and supralinearity or the LET response was observed.     

Orthopaedic grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: some features of the main thermoluminescence glow curve

Thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of orthopaedic-grade ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene have been investigated between 20 and 200 degrees C. The TL at 1 degrees C s(-1) consists of two glow curves, a weaker intensity peak at 115 degrees C and the main peak at 70 degrees C, studied in this work. TL intensity increases with beta irradiation but with a dose-response influenced by heating rate. On the other hand, the peak maximum is affected by both irradiation and repeated use of a sample. The glow curve shifts to higher temperatures with increase in heating rate but only slightly so with change in beta irradiation dose, properties suggestive of first-order kinetics. Kinetic analysis for activation energy and order of kinetics, based on the discrete trap model, produce somewhat conflicting results. Whereas qualitative analysis of peak symmetry show that first-order kinetics apply, geometrical analysis of the peak shape suggests that the order of kinetics might be other than first-order. Values of activation energy evaluated using the initial rise method were found to be dose dependent and for a given beta dose are in agreement with calculations from peak shape and initial rise methods but less so with results from variable heating rate method.     

Study of real heating profiles in routine TLD readout: influences of temperature lags and non-linearities in the heating profiles on the glow curve shape

This paper reports on the results of a heating profile analysis using a commercial routine read-out system with non-contact hot nitrogen heating, using linear heating gas profiles. Glow curves of TLD-100 were analysed for different linear heating gas rates from 1 degree C x s(-1) to 30 degrees C x s(-1). The analysis of the individual peak maxima (Peak 2-5) leads to an approximation of the real heating profile in the TL detector. It was found that the real heating profile deviates strongly from linearity, and that the temperature lag between the heating gas and the detector reaches values up to some tens of degrees C. The consequences of this non-linearity, with respect to the resulting glow curves, are discussed in this paper. These results lead to a better understanding of the shape of routine TL glow curves and help to improve the use of glow curves analysis in routine services. In addition, a simple procedure is described which allows calculation of the real heating profile based on the heating gas temperature profile. This model shows a very good match between experimental data and calculated values.     

Study of real time temperature profiles in routine TLD read out--influences of detector thickness and heating rate on glow curve shape

This paper reports the results of a study using a commercial routine read out system with non-contact hot nitrogen heating and linear heating gas profiles. Glow curves of LiF:Mg,Ti as well as LiF:Mg,Cu,P were analysed for different linear heating rates beta from 1 to 30 degrees K s(-1). Different thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) of different thicknesses (0.38-0.90 mm) were studied and compared. By means of the application of CGCD program considering kinetic parameters of the used TL-material the analysis of the peak temperature of the individual TL peaks lead to the approximation of the real heating profile T(chip)(t) in the TL chip. The real heating profile deviates strongly from linearity and can be characterised by the solution of a differential equation T(chip)(t) = F [T(gas)(t)]. The model of this equation is discussed in the paper. The difference between gas and chip temperatures are heating rate and chip thickness dependent and reach values of up to 100 degrees C (for thick detectors and fast heating rates). Especially for LiF:Cu,P, knowledge of the real chip temperature is essential, since read out shall be performed at the highest possible temperature, without destroying the dosimetric properties of the material. On the basis of this work, an optimisation of the readout parameters for LiF:Cu,P is possible.     

Thermal quenching of thermoluminescence in natural quartz

The thermal quenching properties of the thermoluminescence (TL) from several natural quartz specimens were examined, at two different wavelengths, using the heating rate dependence of the TL signal. As the heating rate varies the TL peaks shift to different temperatures and become affected by thermal quenching to different extents. In this work the heating rate was varied over several orders of magnitude and, through deconvolution of the TL glow curve the behaviour of the main TL peaks was followed as a function of the temperature at which the peak appeared in the glow curve. Through an analysis of the glow peak areas as a function of glow peak temperature the decrease in the efficiency of TL production with increasing temperature could be monitored, at the different emission wavelengths. The analysis supports the contention that the quenching phenomenon is a result of a Mott-Seitz mechanism.     

Thermoluminescence response of K2YF5:Tb3+ crystals to photon radiation fields

This investigation has been performed to test the feasibility of using K2YF5:Tb3+ crystals as thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLD). K2YF5 single crystals doped with 0.2, 10.0 and 50.0 at.% of trivalent optically active Tb3+ ions as well as K2TbF5 and undoped K2YF5 crystals have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Polished crystal platelets with thickness of about 1 mm have been irradiated with X and gamma rays in order to study thermoluminescent (TL) sensitivity as well as dose and energy response in terms of the Tb3+ concentration in K2YF5. Within this concentration series, K2YF5 crystals doped with 10.0 at.% Tb3+ have been found to have maximum TL response due to a broad asymmetric TL glow peak at 269 degrees C with good linearity of dose response and reproducibility of dose measurements. After deconvolution, the main dosimetric peak has been revealed to be composed of two individual peaks, both with linear TL response behaviour, centered at 210 and 269 degrees C. As it has been proved, the linear TL signal coefficient for K2Y0.9Tb0.1F5 is almost 10 times greater than that for commercial TLD-100 (LiF:Mg,Ti), irradiated with a 137Cs gamma radiation source at the same conditions. The reported results indicate that K2YF5 crystals doped with Tb3+ have potential as promising materials for radiation dosemeters.     

Influence of readout parameters on TL response,re-usability and residual signal in LiF:Mg,Cu,P

It has recently been recommended that heating rates do not exceed 10 K.s(-1) and that the maximum temperature of readout should not exceed 265 degrees C for LiF:Mg,Cu,P. In some cases, a decrease of sensitivity in this material in the first of several re-use cycles had been reported. Influence of heating rates up to 30 K.s(-1), duration time up to 40s and maximum readout temperatures up to 270 degrees C on TL response, re-usability and residual signal was investigated. It was found that the maximum readout temperatures above 240 degrees C may lead to the thermoluminscent response decrease in the first several re-use cycles. The readout parameters can be optimised to minimise the residual signal (less than 0.4%) and to retain a constant sensitivity at the same time at high heating rates up to 30 K.s(-1) in a short time (less than 1 min per TL chip) without the necessity of heating above 240 degrees C. A concept of 'efficient residual signal' was put forward to quantify more accurately the real residual signal which affects the precision of the next measurement.     

A TL/OSL emission spectrometer extension of the Risø reader

Thermoluminescence (TL) dose responses to gamma radiation in the dose range from 0.1 Gy to 20 kGy in MgSO4:Dy, MgSO4:Dy,Mn, MgSO4:Dy,P and MgSO4:Dy,P,Cu phosphors were obtained and fitted by the composite action dose response function to obtain non-linear characteristic parameters, one-hit factor R and characteristic dose D0, which indicate that the TL dose responses for individual TL glow peaks in MgSO4:Dy, MgSO4:Dy,Mn and MgSO4:Dy,P phosphors all are supralinear. The non-linearity of dose response for the main dosimetric peak in MgSO4:Dy,P,Cu depends critically on the concentration of doped Cu and sublinearity can be obtained in the dose responses of TL materials doped with a certain amount of Cu. Based on studying the TL glow curves, dose responses and three dimension emission spectra of these phosphors, it is supposed that the TL event is generated via a multi-stage process within a large defect complex in doped magnesium sulphate phosphors. Doping with Cu results in reformation of the defect complex in which there is a strong spatial association between a trapping centre and a recombination centre so that the probability of one-hit TL events increases. The non-linearity of the dose responses is usually a difficulty for measuring higher dose in TL dosemeters. It can be overcome by enlarging the linear range of the dose-response or by calibrating the dose-response curves using non-linear characteristic parameters in a dose response function, such as the composite action dose response function.     

Defect centres and thermoluminescence in CaSO4:Dy,Ag phosphor

The defect centres formed in the TL phosphor CaSO4:Dy,Ag are studied using the technique of Electron Spin Resonance. The Ag co-doped phosphor exhibits three glow peaks around 130, 220 and 375 degrees C in contrast with the two glow peaks observed in the CaSO4:Dy phosphor at 130 and 220 degrees C at a gamma ray dose of 1Gy. ESR studies show that the additional peak at 375 degrees C correlates with a Ag2+ centre formed due to gamma irradiation and observable only below -170 degrees C. The Ag2+ centre is characterised by an axial g-tensor with principal values g(parallel) = 2.38 and g(perpendicular) = 2.41. ESR studies further indicate that the precursor to a centre observable at low temperature (-170 degrees C) appears to act as the recombination centre for the TL peak at 375 degrees C; this radical is characterised by the g-values g(parallel) = 2.0023 and g(perpendicular) = 2.0038 and is assigned to SO3- radical. It is observed that there is more incorporation of Ag in the CaSO4:Dy system as compared with that in pure CaSO4 system.     

Trapping centers and their distribution in Tl2InGaSe4 single crystals by thermally stimulated luminescence

Thermoluminescence (TL) measurements in Tl₂InGaSe₄-layered single crystals have been carried out in the temperature range of 10–200 K at various heating rates (0.2–1.0 K s^?1) to get information about the characteristics of traps. Two TL overlapping glow peaks related to defect levels have been clearly observed. Thermal cleaning procedure was applied to the glow curves to separate overlapped peaks. Initial rise, peak shape, and heating rate methods were used to calculate the activation energies of the revealed traps. The energy values of 5 and 28 meV were evaluated for the peaks observed at low and high temperatures, respectively. Moreover, heating rate dependence and traps distribution analysis were also investigated on the curve obtained after thermal cleaning. The activation energies of the distributed trapping centers were found to be increasing from 29 to 151 meV with increasing the illumination temperature from 42 to 80 K.     

Analysis of the glow curves obtained from LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material using the general order kinetics model

Three-dimensional thermoluminescence (TL) spectra based on temperature, wavelength and intensity for newly developed LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) were measured and analysed. The glow curves were obtained by integration of luminescence intensity over all wavelengths at each temperature, and various trapping parameters related to the traps were determined by analysing these curves. A computerised glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) method which was based on the general order kinetics (GOK) model was used for the glow curve analysis. The glow curves of LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material were deconvoluted to six isolated glow curves which have peak temperatures at 333, 374, 426, 466, 483 and 516 K. The main glow peak of peak temperature at 466 K had activation energy of 2.06 eV and a kinetic order of 1.05. This TL material was also found to have three recombination centres, 1.80 eV, 2.88 eV and 3.27 eV by analysis of the TL spectra.     

The influence of post-exposure heating on the stability of MCP-N (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) TL detectors

Post-exposure annealing of highly sensitive LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N) detectors, at 100 degrees C over 10 or 20 min prior to readout, is usually recommended for routine dosimetry. The purpose of this anneal is to eliminate low-temperature peaks, especially peak 3, which fades at room temperature in about 3 months. However, as this annealing procedure does not entirely eliminate peak 3, 10% of its thermoluminescent (TL) signal still being readable, a fading correction must be applied. The aim of this work was to optimise the conditions of post-exposure treatment, i.e. its temperature and duration, in order to facilitate the use of MCP-N detectors in routine dosimetry. MCP-N detectors were annealed in standard conditions, i.e. at 240 degrees C over 10 min and exposed to a dose of 5 mGy (137Cs). For post-exposure annealing, six different temperatures between 100 degrees C and 150 degrees C and two time periods (10 and 20 min) were tested. TL glow curves were deconvoluted with the GCA code. A post-exposure anneal at 120 degrees C over 10 min was found to be optimal. Heating at this temperature eliminates 100% of the TL signal of peak 3, while maintaining the area and maximum intensity of the main peak 4 unchanged. In this case, no fading correction needs to be applied. Annealing at higher temperatures, up to 150 degrees C, results in a loss of peak 4 signal, and is therefore not recommended.     

Studies on the TL and decay of BaS:Cu phosphors

Thermoluminescence (TL) and phosphorescence of BaS:Cu phosphors have been studied in this investigation of exciting at 28°C by low energy electrons, X-rays and UV light. While by UV light only one TL glow peak around 80°C can be observed, by X-ray and electron irradiation additional glow peaks at 187°C, 287°C and 427°C have been produced. The TL output diminishes with the time of storage in darkness. Considering the color of fluorescence, TL emission and the nature of decay (afterglow and TL), the traps involved in this system may be associated with Cu centers located either near S^-- ion vacancy or with halogen ions in their neighborhood.     

Energy response of LiF and Mg2SiO4 TLDs to 10-150 keV monoenergetic photons

Energy response of LiF:Mg,Ti, LiF:Mg,Cu,P and Mg2SiO4:Tb thermoluminescence dosemeters (TLDs) was measured in the range 10-150 keV for monoenergetic photons at SPring-8 of an 8-GeV synchrotron radiation facility. The photon beam was monitored by a parallel-plate free-air ionisation chamber calibrated with an uncertainty of 3%. Owing to the small dimension of the beam, a rotating holder was designed in order to irradiate TLDs uniformly. The measured responses of LiF to energy were approximately in agreement with the calculated dose absorption dependence in the soft tissue. However, two types of LiF TLDs presented the different luminescent responses to the photon energy. The response of LiF:Mg,Ti had a smooth curve, and that of LiF:Mg,Cu,P presented a local maximum at 30 keV and a local minimum at 100 keV. The Mg2SiO4:Tb response was nearly bone equivalent. Linearity of dose responses was also confirmed up to 2 Gy on each TL material.