The thermoluminescent properties of lithium triborate (LiB3O5) activated by aluminium

In this paper, the thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetric characteristics of Al-doped LiB₃O₅ compounds are presented. The powder samples were prepared by the solid-state reaction method and the formation of the compounds were confirmed by an X-ray diffraction study. The TL studies of undoped and Al-doped LiB₃O₅ samples showed similar glow curve structures. They have three TL glow peaks at about 60, 130 and 200 °C after heating at a constant heating rate of 1 °C/s. Their comparative TL studies indicated that 5 wt% Al-doped LiB₃O₅ compound was approximately 240 times more sensitive than undoped compound. The TL emission spectra of Al-doped LiB₃O₅ showed a maximum band at around 520 nm. The main dosimetric characteristics, which are namely the TL dose response, TL sensitivity, fading, minimum detectable dose, reproducibility, precision of dose measurement and annealing procedure, indicated that Al-doped LiB₃O₅ sample, can be used in dosimetric applications. The trap parameters namely order of kinetics (b), activation energy (E) and frequency factor (s) associated with the glow peaks in beta irradiated undoped and Al-doped LiB₃O₅ samples were obtained by glow curve deconvolution (GCD) program.     

The thermoluminescence properties of natural CaF2 after β-irradiation

In this study, the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of natural CaF₂ were investigated after β-irradiation at room temperature (RT). The additive dose (AD), T_m(E_a)-T_stop, repeated initial rise (RIR), and computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) methods were used to analyze the thermoluminescence (TL) glow peaks in natural CaF₂ after β-irradiation between 0.015 Gy and ≈2 kGy dose level. These methods were used to determine the number of peaks and kinetic parameters (kinetic orders b, activation energy E_a, and attempt-to-escape frequency s) associated with the thermoluminescence (TL) glow peaks of natural CaF₂. The E_a-T_stop and CGCD methods indicate that the glow curve of this material is the superposition of at least six glow peaks, which were dealt with as P1-P6, in the temperature range between room temperature (RT) and 400 °C. Dose variation experiments revealed that TL glow curve of natural CaF₂ has both first and general-order glow peaks. The dose responses and fading process, which are very useful in radiation dosimetry, of individual TL peaks of this material were also examined. In addition, the influence of heating rates on the response of dosimetric glow peaks of natural CaF₂ was studied. It was observed that the total area of glow peak and peak intensities of all glow peaks are continuously decreasing with increasing heating rate.     

The effects of heating rate on the dose response characteristics of TLD-200, TLD-300 and TLD-400

In the given study; the effects of heating rates on the dose response characteristics of CaF₂:Dy (TLD-200), CaF₂:Tm (TLD-300) and CaF₂:Mn (TLD-400) crystals have been investigated using the dose dependence curve and dose response function f(D). It was observed from the dose response functions that the linearity and behaviour of the TL glow peaks of TLD-200 and TLD-400 are affected, but the TLD-300 is not affected from the heating rate.     

Investigation of the stability of the radiation sensitivity of TL peaks of quartz extracted from tiles

One of the most important mineral in dosimetric investigation is quartz, which is found abundantly in archaeological and geological materials. Although there are many studies about its thermoluminescence (TL) properties in the literature, it may exhibit different properties for each quartz mineral extracted from the different region of the world. In the present work, the stabilities and dose responses of glow peaks of quartz obtained from the tiles of Kubad Abad Palace in central Turkey were investigated after annealing at 500 and 600 °C for 1 h. The variation of radiation sensitivity of TL peaks of the quartz grains extracted from tiles are found to be more stable after annealing at 600 °C than 500 °C for 1 h. The TL dose responses of glow peaks of annealed and unannealed quartz samples were also studied up to approximately 3 kGy. It was observed that the pre-irradiation heat treatments affect the dose response behaviors of glow peaks.     

Dosimetric properties of UV irradiated calcium co-doped borate glass-ceramic

The thermoluminescence (TL) response of Dy and Li doped 20CaB₄O₇-80CaB₂O₄ (wt%) glass-ceramic irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation was studied. In order to act as TL activator ions, the Dy and Li ions were included in the matrix during the melting process to increase its TL efficiency. A single crystalline CaB₂O₄ phase was present in the glass-ceramic as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The glass-ceramic 20CaB₄O₇-80CaB₂O₄:Dy,Li wt% (named 20CBO7:Dy,Li) is a newly prepared TL material. Its thermoluminescent dosimetric characteristics have shown a linear response under UV radiation exposure and a good TL signal reproducibility, thus proving to be a promising material for using as an ultraviolet radiation dosimeter.     

Peak shape methods for general order thermoluminescence glow-peaks: A reappraisal

This paper presents a reappraisal of the well known peak shape expressions for calculating the activation energy E in a thermoluminescence (TL) glow-peak. This study leads to new insights as to the meaning of the coefficients used in the original equations. The reappraisal leads to new equations for the coefficients of the peak shape expressions which contain the general order parameter b, instead of the experimentally determined geometrical shape factor which is used in the original equations. Previously only the coefficients for first and second order kinetics were determined on the basis of existing theory and the coefficients for intermediate kinetics order were determined empirically using a linear interpolation-extrapolation method. In the present work the improved peak shape coefficients are evaluated in analytical form as a function of the kinetic order b, by using the general order kinetics expression for the TL intensity. The intrinsic errors in the newly derived expressions for E are evaluated and their relevance to experimental work is discussed in detail. A method for a further improvement of the accuracy of the peak shape methods is suggested.     

Thermoluminescence of terbium-doped double fluorides

This paper presents the thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of the double fluorides: K₂YF₅, K₂GdF₅ and K₂LuF₅ doped with Tb³⁺, which were studied in the temperature range from 30 to 400 °C. Materials which presented better response to the irradiation with beta particles and with ultraviolet radiation were: K₂YF₅:Tb (1 at.% Tb³⁺) and K₂LuF₅:Tb (1 at.% Tb³⁺); meanwhile, K₂YF₅:Tb at high concentrations (10 and 20 at.% Tb³⁺) as well as K₂LuF₅:Tb (1 at.% Tb³⁺) and K₂LuF₅:Tb (1 at.% Tb³⁺) presented good response to gamma radiation. The intensity of the thermoluminescent response induced in these materials by ionizing radiation has determined that their dosimetric characteristics should be studied further as this may allow the development of potentially useful TL materials for radiation dosimetry.     

Thermoluminescence kinetic analysis of basaltic rocks using a generalized model for exponential distribution of activation energies

A new general order Thermoluminescence (TL) model for exponential distribution of activation energies has been presented. In the proposed model an effective kinetic-order has been introduced as an additional adjustable parameter. This makes it possible to take the re-trapping into account and would give a better estimate of the activation energy compared with the first order kinetics model. The proposed model has been applied to the basaltic rocks from central zone of Iran. The obtained results show that the proposed model gives a better fit to the experimental peaks compared to the first order model.     

Study on TL and OSL characteristics of indigenously developed CaF2:Mn phosphor

CaF₂:Mn phosphor is known for its high thermoluminescent sensitivity and dose linearity up to few kGy. In the present study CaF₂ phosphor with different concentration of Mn dopant was prepared and was characterized through different techniques. The phosphor was prepared through chemical root using CaCO₃, HF acid and MnCl₂ as raw materials following co-precipitation method. TL sensitivity of the prepared phosphor was compared with other well established phosphors used for radiation dosimetry. It was found that the TL sensitivity is higher by a factor of 10 with respect to LiF:Mg, Ti, TLD-100 and half to that of CaSO₄:Dy (0.05 mol%) phosphor. X-ray diffraction, TL emission spectrum and ESR spectrum taken of the prepared phosphor confirms the crystal structure, Mn²⁺ emission and incorporation Mn in the crystal, respectively. No significant fading of the dosimetric peak was observed of the prepared phosphor for a storage period of 45 days. The dose linearity of the phosphor was found to be in the range of 50 Gy-3 kGy within an uncertainty of about 10%. An attempt was made to determine the kinetic parameters of TL glow curve and the parameters related to optically stimulated luminescence. In view of its long range of dose linearity, it can be used for the dosimetry of commercial irradiator generally used for the irradiation of food and grains in our country.     

Investigation on the suitability of natural sandstone as a gamma dosimeter

The suitability of sandstone for the gamma radiation dosimetry using thermoluminescence technique is investigated. Its properties are systematically studied utilizing atomic absorption spectrometry, measurements of natural and laboratory-induced blue thermoluminescence emission band, trap depths and storage effects. The emission of the natural blue-band exhibited broad peak at ∼315 °C. The thermoluminescence gamma dose response has a linear behavior over the dose range 1-50 Gy followed by sub-linearity at high dose level, with standard deviation in all cases less than ±9%. Trapping depths showed a closely spaced set of traps for both the natural and laboratory-induced glow curves. The variation in thermoluminescence signal over 1 week storage period at room temperature was not more than 7%. The thermoluminescence fading effects were explained by the localized transition model. From our results, it is possible to conclude that natural sandstone is a suitable material for accident and industrial dosimetric applications.     

The pre-dose effect in natural white mica (H2KAl3(SiO4)3)

A comprehensive study of the pre-dose effect was carried out for natural white mica. A pre-dose of 1 kGy of γ-radiation followed by thermal activation to 550 °C of fired mica (heated at 800 °C for 10 h) leads to a large increase in the TL sensitivity. The TL response to γ-rays of sensitized aliquots was found to be linear-sublinear while that of unsensitized aliquots was linear-superlinear referring specifically to graphs drawn on a linear-linear scale. The change in the TL sensitivity of mica was explained by using the recombination during heating model. This study is of importance in dating and retrospective dosimetry.     

DyF3: A promising new TL material for gamma dosimetry

This research describes preliminary investigation of some radiation dosimetry characteristics of commercial dysprosium fluoride powder. The as-received aliquot has strong thermoluminescence (TL) emission with one sharp peak at ∼234 °C. The TL characteristics have been examined under excitation of gamma (γ) doses in the range 1 Gy-50 kGy from a ⁶⁰Co gamma source. The dose response was linear up to 100 Gy and a sub-linear response was observed at higher doses. The TL signal is observed to remain stable for aliquots irradiated to γ-doses in the range 1-10 Gy over one month storage period in dark at ambient temperature and humidity conditions. This paper recommends using DyF₃ in doping of TL materials which may be promising for future dosimeter development.     

Comparison between the low temperature thermoluminescence spectra in annealed LiF:Mg,Cu, LiF:Mg,Cu,P and LiF:Mg,Cu,Si

Two strong thermal peaks in the wavelength range 220-420 nm have been detected at 128 and 140 K in LiF:Mg,Cu, at 123 and 135 K in LiF:Mg,Cu,P and at 125 and 133 K in LiF:Mg,Cu,Si, respectively. The origin of these main TL peaks is discussed in terms of defect perturbed H-F and V_K-e type recombination, respectively. The relative intensity between the two peaks in each sample and the emission spectra are dependent on the dopants.Annealing at 240-390 °C can modify the low temperature TL features, especially in those samples doped with three impurities. The low temperature data give some clues to select most favourable dopants for future LiF-type dosimeters.     

Analysis of thermoluminescence kinetics of Mg2SiO4:Tb compounds employing an interactive model

The kinetics involved in the thermoluminescence (TL) of Mg₂SiO₄:Tb compounds has been investigated by unfolding glow curves employing both the General Order model and a model that takes into account interactions among traps. The dependence of the glow curve shape on dose is only correctly described if interaction among traps is included in the analysis.     

Neutron-gamma mixed field measurements by means of MCP-TLD600 dosimeter pair

In this paper, we compared the TL response of three types of thermoluminescence dosimeters, TLD600 (⁶LiF:Mg,Ti), TLD700 (⁷LiF:Mg,Ti) and MCP (LiF:Mg,Cu,P) after exposure to a n-γ mixed field in the fluence range of radiotherapeutic applications. Since a dosimeter pair is required to discriminate the two components of the mixed field, we analyzed the ability of each dosimeter pair to provide the fluence value in the mixed field. At this aim we performed a ⁶⁰Co-γ calibration and a neutron calibration for all three dosimeter types. Finally, a blind test was performed in order to analyze the accuracy of each dosimeter pair and we found that in this mixed field the fluence value obtained through the TLD600-MCP pair is as accurate as the value obtained through the most common TLD600-TLD700 pair.     

Radiation induced defects in BaBPO5:Ce and their role in thermally stimulated luminescence reactions: EPR and TSL investigations

Defect centers induced by gamma irradiation in Ce doped BaBPO₅ were investigated using EPR spectroscopy. From EPR studies, three phosphorous centered radicals were characterized on the basis of observed ³¹P hyperfine splitting and g values as , and radicals. In addition to this, two types of boron oxygen hole centers (BOHC) and O⁻ were also formed at room temperature. An intense broad signal in sample annealed in argon (g_⊥ = 1.9258 and g_‖ = 1.8839) was assigned to Ce³⁺ ions associated with the electron trapped at anion vacancy or nearby lattice defect. TSL studies showed two glow peaks, a relatively weaker one at 425 K and an intense one at 575 K. Spectral studies of the TSL glow peaks have shown that Ce³⁺ ion acts as emission center. From the temperature dependence of the EPR spectra of gamma irradiated samples, the glow peaks at 425 K and 575 K were attributed to thermal destruction of /O⁻ and BOHC, respectively, by trapping of electrons from elsewhere. The energy released in electron hole recombination process is used for the excitation of Ce³⁺ ions resulting in these glow peaks at 425 K and 575 K. The spectral studies of the TSL glow peaks have shown emission at 330 nm indicating Ce³⁺ acts as the luminescent centre. The trap depth and the frequency factor for the 425 K and 575 K peaks were determined using different heating rates method.     

CaF2:Tm (TLD-300) thermoluminescent response and glow curve induced by γ-rays and ions

The thermoluminescent response of CaF₂:Tm after exposure to ⁶⁰Co γ-rays at doses from 0.44 Gy to 8.75 kGy and to low fluences (10⁵ ∼ 10⁸ cm⁻²) of 25 and 40 MeV ¹H, 75 and 120 MeV ³He, 180, 300 and 480 MeV ¹²C, 400 MeV ¹⁶O and 800 MeV ²⁰Ne ion beams, spanning a LET interval up to about 500 keV/μm, has been investigated. A careful deconvolution analysis of the glow curve has been performed in order to obtain information for individual peaks. The region of linear response to gammas extends up to ≈1 Gy, while that for ions includes the complete dose interval covered in the study (up to ≈1.3 Gy). The ratio between the high- and low-temperature structures in the glow curve is correlated with radiation quality and dependence on ion identity, besides LET, is strongly suggested by the data. The thermoluminescent efficiency to ion exposure, with respect to irradiation with ⁶⁰Co γ-rays, shows a different dependence on LET for each of the peaks. In general terms, the efficiency reaches a maximum between 1.2 and 1.4 near 6 keV/μm and decreases for higher LET. Peak 3 displays a unique trend, its relative efficiency is always less than 1.0 and shows a strong monotonic inverse dependence with LET.     

Thermal and structural properties of low-fluence irradiated graphite

The release of Wigner energy from graphite irradiated by fast neutrons at a TRIGA Mark II research reactor has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry and simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry / synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction between 25 and 725 °C at a heating rate of 10 °C min⁻¹. The graphite, having been subject to a fast-neutron fluence from 5.67 × 10²⁰ to 1.13 × 10²² n m⁻² at a fast-neutron flux (E > 0.1 MeV) of 7.88 × 10¹⁶ n m⁻² s⁻¹ and at temperatures not exceeding 100 °C, exhibits Wigner energies ranging from 1.2 to 21.8 J g⁻¹ and a Wigner energy accumulation rate of 1.9 × 10⁻²¹ J g⁻¹ n⁻¹ m². The differential-scanning-calorimeter curves exhibit, in addition to the well known peak at ∼200 °C, a pronounced fine structure consisting of additional peaks at ∼150, ∼230, and ∼280 °C. These peaks correspond to activation energies of 1.31, 1.47, 1.57, and 1.72 eV, respectively. Crystal structure of the samples is intact. The dependence of the c lattice parameter on temperature between 25 and 725 °C as determined by Rietveld refinement leads to the expected microscopic thermal expansion coefficient along the c axis of ∼26 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹. At 200 °C, coinciding with the maximum in the differential-scanning-calorimeter curves, no measurable changes in the rate of thermal expansion have been detected - unlike its decrease previously seen in more highly irradiated graphite.     

Ion-luminescence properties of GaN films being developed for IPEM

Radiation effects microscopy (REM) for the next generation integrated circuits (ICs) will require GeV ions both to provide high ionization and to penetrate the thick overlayers in present day ICs. These ion beams can be provided by only a few cyclotrons in the world. Since it is extremely hard to focus these higher-energy ions, we have proposed the ion photon emission microscope (IPEM) that allows the determination of the ion hits by focusing the emitted photons to a position sensitive detector. The IPEM needs a thin luminescent foil that has high brightness, good spatial resolution and does not change the incident ion’s energy and direction significantly. Available organic-phosphor foils require a large thickness to produce enough photons, which results in poor spatial resolution. To solve this problem, we have developed thin, lightly doped n-type GaN films that are extremely bright. We have grown high quality GaN films on sapphire using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), detached the films from the substrate using laser ablation, and made them self-supporting. The smallest foils have 1 mm² area and 1 μm thickness. The optical properties, such as light yield, spectrum and decay times were measured and compared to those of conventional phosphors, by using both alpha particles from a radioactive source and 250 keV ions from an implanter. We found that the GaN performance strongly depends on composition and doping levels. The conclusion is that 1-2 μm GaN film of a 1 mm² area may become an ideal ion position detector.     

Optical analysis of gel dosimeters: Comparison of Fricke and normoxic polymer gels

The dosimetry method based on optical analysis of gel layers has been experienced utilising both Fricke and polymer (normoxic) gels. The aim of the work was that of investigating the potentiality of a normoxic polymer gel and of performing a further verification of the reliability of Fricke gel dosimeters. Optical absorbance was measured, both with a spectrophotometer and by imaging light transmittance detected with a CCD camera. The results of the study of sensitivity, linearity of the response and reproducibility of the polymer gel dosimeter have shown acceptable performances, except for doses below 2 Gy. The linearity range extends up to 20 Gy. On the other side, dose images and profiles have shown noticeable differences when compared to those calculated or measured with ionisation chambers or Fricke gel dosimeters. Such Fricke dosimeters have given further confirmation of their reliability.