Determination of thermoluminescence kinetic parameters of terbium-doped zirconium oxide

In recent years considerable importance has been attached to zirconium oxid e doped with rare earth (ZrO2:RE) thin films due to their desirable charact eristics for use in UV dosimetry, In our laboratories we have developed a m ethod to prepare ZrO2: RE thin films. Dosimetric characteristics of these m aterials have been reported previously (Azorin et al., Radiat. Meas. 29 (19 98) 315; Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 85 (1999) 317) and results of these have stim ulated continued development and analysis of the thermoluminescence mechani sm. Two important parameters to be determined in TL studies are the activat ion energy (E) and the frequency factor (s). This paper presents the result s of determining kinetic parameters of terbium-doped zirconium oxide (ZrO2: Tb) thin films, exposed to 260 nra UV light, using the Lushchik (Sov. Phys . JETF 3 (1956) 390) and Chen (J. Appl. Phys. 40 (1969) 570; J. Electrochem . Soc. 166 (1969) 1254) methods. Kinetic analysis of the glow curve shows s econd order kinetics for both the first and second glow peaks. (C) 2001 Els evier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.