A preliminary communication on an inexpensive mass-produced high-dose polymeric dosimeter based on optically-stimulated luminescence

Polymeric thin films (0.5, 0.42, 0.25 and 0.08 mm thicknesses), containing a microcrystalline dispersion of a proprietary optically stimulated fluor i n a plastic matrix, have been developed to measure and image high doses, us ing a simple, inexpensive table-top fluorimeter dedicated to a fast repetit ive readout for large-scale routine dosimetry. The useable absorbed dose ra nge of the system is 5 x 10(1) to 2 x 10(5) Gy, with an approximately linea r function of relative light emission vs absorbed dose, and a random (type A) uncertainty (coverage factor 1) of dose interpretation of similar to 3%. The dosimeters are produced in very large reproducible quantities and prov ide a relatively fast simple analysis based on blue-light stimulation of st able, radiation-induced trapped-charged colour-centre states with emitted r ed-light photometric readout. Unlike thermoluminescence (TL), the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) emission at room temperature does not apprec iably anneal the luminescent centres, so that stored excited states in the radiation-induced colour centres are stable through many readout cycles, af fording archival dosimetry data capability. Dosimeter stability, reproducib ility, temperature dependence, humidity dependence, sensitivity to ambient light, and rate dependence are reported on. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.