Thermoluminescence Response of Ge-Doped Cylindrical-, Flat- and Photonic Crystal Silica-Fibres to Electron and Photon Radiation

PLoS One. 2016 May 5;11(5):e0153913. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153913. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Study has been made of the thermoluminescence (TL) response of silica-based Ge-doped cylindrical, flat and photonic crystal fibres (referred to herein as PCF-collapsed) to electron (6, 12 and 20 MeV) and photon (6, 10 MV) irradiation and 1.25 MeV γ-rays, for doses from 0.1 Gy to 100 Gy. The electron and photon irradiations were delivered through use of a Varian Model 2100C linear accelerator located at the University of Malaya Medical Centre and γ-rays delivered from a 60Co irradiator located at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL), Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Tailor-made to be of various dimensions and dopant concentrations (6-10% Ge), the fibres were observed to provide TL yield linear with radiation dose, reproducibility being within 1-5%, with insensitivity to energy and angular variation. The sensitivity dependency of both detectors with respect to field size follows the dependency of the output factors. For flat fibres exposed to 6 MV X-rays, the 6% Ge-doped fibre provided the greatest TL yield while PCF-collapsed showed a response 2.4 times greater than that of the 6% Ge-doped flat fibres. The response of cylindrical fibres increased with core size. The fibres offer uniform response, high spatial resolution and sensitivity, providing the basis of promising TL systems for radiotherapy applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
  • Electrons
  • Gamma Rays
  • Optical Fibers
  • Photons
  • Radiotherapy / methods
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
  • Silicon Dioxide / radiation effects*
  • Thermoluminescent Dosimetry*

Substances

  • Silicon Dioxide

Grants and funding

The work was supported by the University of Malaya High Impact Research (HIR) Grant (UM.C/HIR/MOHE/SC/33), and University of Malaya Research Grant No. RP006D-13AFR. The authors are indebted to the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the University of Malaya for providing this support.