A Dosimeter for On-line Dose Rate Monitoring Based on a Natural Diamond Detector

The structure and principle of operation of a dosimeter for on-line dose rate monitoring (DOM) are considered. The DOM provides real-time measurements of the absorbed -ray and electron dose rates, monitors relative distributions of radiation fields in radiotherapy facilities, and controls the radiation characteristics of radiotherapeutic equipment during its adjustment, certification, and service. The dosimeter can measure the dose absorbed in a certain period of time. Compared to conventional dosimeters based on air ionization chambers and silicon semiconductor detectors, the DOM has a number of advantages: dose-rate measurement linearity, energy independence of radiation detection in the range of 0.8–20 MeV for -rays and 8–20 MeV for electrons, high sensitivity compared to air ionization chambers, high radiation and thermal stability, and the small size of the device. The detecting element of the dosimeter is manufactured from a tissue equivalent to a biological material. The operating ranges of dose rate measurements are 10^–3–10 Gy/min and 10^–2–10² Gy/min. The DOM measurement error is <2%. Radiation therapy is the dosimeter field of application.