Dosimetric properties of sintered LiF : Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors

Selected dosimetric properties of sintered LiF : Mg,Cu,Na,Si detectors were studied. Solid LiF : Mg,Cu,Na,Si pellets of diameters 4.5 mm and thickness 0.9 mm, dark blue in colour, were obtained by cold pressing and sintering the powder at 820 deg. C. The dosimetric properties of the newly developed detectors were studied and compared with the properties of LiF : Mg,Cu,P pellets (MCP-N). The annealing conditions were the same as those used for MCP-N detectors. X-ray exposures were performed at the KAERI,Taejon,Korea, while other irradiation and readout were carried out at the INP in Krakow, Poland. The glow-curve structure of LiF : Mg,Cu,Na,Si pellets is found to be comparable to that of MCP-N (LiF : Mg,Cu,P) detectors but the absolute sensitivity is about 50% lower. The photon energy response after doses of X-rays of energy about 100 keV shows a decrease, similar to that in LiF : Mg,Cu,P. For lower energies the response is higher than that for LiF : Mg,Cu,P due to the presence of high-Z elements (Na,Cu, and Si). The relative TL efficiency after doses of alpha particles from an 214 Am source of the sintered LiF : Mg,Cu,Na,Si detectors is similar to that of MCP-N (LiF : Mg,Cu,P)