TLD Instrumentation: A Case Study of PC Controlled TL Reader

Abstract:

Thermoluminescence reader is an important tool and a requisite for a researcher to study and characterize Thermoluminescence (TL) materials in different forms. Requirement for a versatile PC Controlled TL Reader has been felt for quite some time globally. Nucleonix Systems, Hyderabad, India, have developed a PC Controlled TL Reader by integrating complete electronics hardware circuits (comprising of Power Electronics, Low/High voltage Supplies, Temperature Controller, Micro Controller based data acquisition circuits having serial counter, ADC, DAC, EEPROM, PMT, PMT housing, sample heating system, drawer assembly, etc.) in a single enclosure. The system also integrated with software to calculate the activation energy (E), frequency factor (S) and order of kinetics ‘1’ for the prominent glow peaks using different equations.This Integral TL Reader unit gets connected to the Personal Computer System through serial port RS232C/USB port. The user interface to the system is through front–end VB software defined Graphics User Interface (GUI). The system also contains some of the software features like glow curve acquisition, analysis, filing, printing, plotting, overlapping, maker data reporting, etc. Additionally, system facilitates single/two/three plateau heating with variable heating rates.The primary objective of this development is to bring out versatile TL instrumentation system and also to make it affordable to many of the researchers in the Universities and other areas, including Radio-therapist, Medical Physicists in Cancer Hospitals. This system has been evaluated for its performance with CaSO₄: Dy discs, powder, as well as with LiF: Mg, Ti chips. Linearity and reproducibility have been found to be quite satisfactory also within +2%. This system is quite useful to study the TL of phosphor, minerals and characterization of various solid semiconducting materials, and also can be used in personal dosimetry measurements and research studies in medical dosimetry, environmental radiation monitoring, and host of other applications in R&D Labs., etc.

• Periodical: Defect and Diffusion Forum (Volume 357)
• Pages: 261-273
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/DDF.357.261
• Online since: July 2014
• Authors: J.N. Reddy*, K.V.R. Murthy
• Keywords: GUI, I to F Converter, Ni-63 Light Source, PC Controlled Tl Reader, PMT, Thermocouple, TL Glow Curve

References

[1] Technical datasheet of low dark current PMT 9125B, of ET Enterprises Ltd., U.K.

[2] Technical datasheets of NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTORS, U.S.A for their semiconductors devices used.

[3] Technical datasheets of ANALOG DEVICES, U.S.A for their semiconductors devices used.

[4] Technical datasheet of MAXIM INTEGRATED, U.S.A for their semiconductor devices used.

[5] Technical datasheets of PHILIPS SEMICONDUCTORS for their semiconductor devices used.

[6] Technical datasheets of INTERSIL CORPORATION, U.S.A for their semiconductors devices used.

[7] K.V.R. Murthy and J.N. Reddy, Thermoluminescence: Basic Theory, Applications and Experiments, Published by Nucleonix Systems Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, India, 2008.

[8] M.J. Aitken, Archaeological Dating, Oxford University Press, England, 1985.

[9] Ispra Courses, Applied Thermoluminescence Dosimetry, Lectures of Course held at the Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy, 12 - 16 November 1979.

[10] ICRP Publication 60, Ann. ICRP 21(1-3), Pergamon Press, 1991.

[11] K.V.R. Murthy, Applications of TLDS in Radiation Dosimetry, in: Hardev Singh Virk (Ed.), Radiation Damage Effects in Solids, Trans Tech Publishers, Switzerland, 2013, pp.211-230.

[12] K.V.R. Murthy, Thermoluminescence and its Applications: A Review, in: Hardev Singh Virk (Ed.), Luminescence Related Phenomena and Its Applications, Trans Tech Publishers, Switzerland, 2013, pp.35-74.