Sensitivity loss of LiF: Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescence dosemeters caused by oven annealing

LiF:Mg,Cu,P is a very sensitive thermoluminescence material that can be used for personal dosimetry in radiology. But if this material is heated too much during annealing or reading it quickly loses its sensitivity. This study shows that an annealing oven in wide use can cause thermal damage to the dosemeters owing to inhomogeneous temperature distribution in the annealing tray. At annealing temperatures >240 deg. C, differences of only 1 deg. C lead to significant losses of sensitivity. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the distribution of temperature in the annealing tray for correct placement of the dosemeters in the tray. (authors)