Cost-effective personal radiation dosimetry

Abstract

Deep understanding of physical properties of the materials under the influence of radiation exposure is vital for the effective design of dosimeter devices. Detection of radiation is based on the fact that both the electrical and the optical properties of the materials undergo changes upon the exposure to ionizing radiation. It is believed that radiation causes structural defects (called colour centres or oxygen vacancies in oxides) leading to change in their density on the exposure to radiation. Thin film technology is considered as cost-effective alternative for a broad range of sensors. However, it is especially attractive for metal oxide films with melting point below 2000 ^∘C, as a wide range of films with mixed composition can be produced. The influence of radiation depends on both the dose and the parameters of the films including their thickness: the degradation is more severe for the higher dose and the thinner films. This paper reports on gamma radiation sensing properties of thermally evaporated NbO₂ thin films. These films were deposited at different deposition rate and pressure. It was experimentally confirmed that the manufacturing parameters of the films affected their gamma radiation sensitivity.
Keywords: gamma radiation, thin film, NbO₂, real-time dose monitoring, electrical and optical properties
PACS: 61.80.-x, 78.20.-e, 81.15.Ef, 87.53.Bn