Role of rare-earth impurities in the thermoluminescence of calcium sulphate phosphors

Rare-earth (RE) doped calcium sulphate phosphors like CaSO4 (Dy) and CaSO4 (Tm) are being extensively employed for radiation dosimetric measurements because of their good sensitivity, negligible fading and the case with which these could be economically produced in the laboratory. However the role played by the RE dopants in these phosphors has not been clearly brought out by any systematic studies. This paper presents the results obtained in an attempt to investigate the part played by RE impurities in the thermoluminescence (TL) of calcium sulphate phosphors prepared in the laboratory with known concentrations of the RE dopant. The phenomenon of concentration quenching has been observed withi increasing concentrations of the dopant and the experimental results could be fitted into the theoretical expression derived by Ewles and Lee. The effect of the individual RE dopant (at a concentration of 0.1% by weight in CaSO4), on the TL glow curve patterns as well as the TL emission spectra was investigated after gamma irradiation at room temperature. While the TL glow curve patterns were strikingly similar, the TL emission spectra were characteristically different for the various dopants. The discrete line emissions recorded for the individual RE dopants could be easily identified to be the 4f fluorescence emissions of RE3+ ions. Investigations on undoped calcium sulphate samples of different origins have revealed that their TL glow curve patterns are similar, while the differences observed in TL emission spectra could be ascribed to the different RE impurities in the samples. The study brings out clearly the role played by RE impurities as emission centres in CaSO4 and implies that presence of any RE impurity in CaSO4 cannot be ignored while explaining its thermoluminescence. (author)