Characteristics of TL and PTTL glow curves of gamma irradiated pure Li2B4O7 single crystals

The TL glow curve of X-ray irradiated pure and Cu-doped Li₂B₄O₇ shows that the most intense TL peak is at 160°C. In the present work the characteristics of the TL and PTTL glow curves from gamma irradiated pure Li₂B₄O₇ single crystal samples (prepared by Mitui Kinzoku Kougyo, Japan) have been studied. The samples were irradiated with different gamma doses (from 0.5 up to 500 Gy) using a ⁶⁰Co gamma ray source at a dose rate of 78 Gy h⁻¹. The TL glow curve shows three intense peaks (at 160°C, 260 and 305°C) and three weak ones (at 110, 140 and 220°C). The most intense TL peak is at 160°C, which agrees with the TL glow curve from X-ray irradiated samples [Kutomi Y. and Tomita A. (1990) TSEE and TL of Li₂B₄O₇:Cu single crystals. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 33, 347–350]. The 305°C peak in gamma irradiated samples also appears to be very intense, which indicates its possible use in high-dose high-temperature dosimetry. Further, the characteristics of the PTTL glow curve have been studied as a function of ultraviolet exposure and number of repeated PTTL cycles.     

TL and PTTL in natural fluorite previously irradiated with gamma rays and heavy ions

The effect of annealing temperature on the phototransfer thermoluminescence (PTTL) signal was studied to determine the appropriate annealing temperature for treating the natural powder before irradiation. The temperatures used to anneal virgin natural fluorite samples (only natural dose without giving the samples any artificial doses) were 150, 250, 350, 450, 550, 650 and 750°C for a duration of 1 h in each case. The results show that the PTTL response did not change for anneal temperatures up to 450°C, but at higher temperatures the signal decreased rapidly. The height of the 90°C peak decreased by two orders of magnitude as the anneal temperature increased from 450 to 750°C, whilst the height of the 180°C peak decreased by three orders of magnitude between the same two annealing temperatures. In order to investigate the effect of previous gamma rays and heavy ion irradiation on thermoluminescence (TL) and PTTL signals, powdered samples of natural fluorite from Cornwall, England, were annealed at 500°C and then irradiated (at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany) with ¹⁶¹Dy ions of energy 13 Mev/n; the range of fluences used was from 10⁴ to 10¹² ion cm⁻². Identical samples were given gamma doses in the range 1 Gy to 2.6 × 10⁴ Gy in order to compare the effects of gamma rays and heavy ions. The sensitivities of TL and PTTL were studied by giving the samples a gamma test dose of 1 Gy after annealing the samples at 500°C for 30 min in order to eliminate the TL resulting from previous gamma or heavy ion irradiation.     

The ‘110°C’ TL peak in synthetic quartz

The thermoluminescence (TL) of synthetic quartz has been investigated in the temperature region 275–475 K. These measurements have revealed a more complicated structure of the 110°C TL peak and thermal activation energies and frequency factors have been estimated for a number of peaks within the glow curve. The results obtained after annealing samples in different atmospheres indicate that oxygen-related defects play an important role in the luminescence process, involving both the charge traps and recombination centres.     

Comparative study on the effect of annealing treatments on RTL mechanism in natural quartz from different origins

The behaviour of trap centres and luminescence centres has been investigated for fired and unfired natural quartz from bricks and sediments irradiated at 100 Gy and annealed at different temperatures in the range 350-700 °C. The annealing treatment affects thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve as various changes were observed. The higher sensitization occurred for an annealing in the region 550-600 °C. At this annealing temperature, it has been observed the emergence of two peaks arising at 96 and 180 °C. At lower annealing temperatures, these peaks are overlapped by the peaks localized at 90 and 195 °C, respectively. Concerning the fired quartz, the higher sensitization occurred for an annealing in the region 500-550 °C for peak temperature around 200 °C and an unusual desensitization for the peak temperature around 100 °C. The behaviour of the two types of quartz is analyzed regarding to their kinetic parameters and luminescence emission and compared to literature data.     

Thermostimulated luminescence characteristics of dolomitic rocks and their use as a gamma ray dosimeter

The thermostimulated luminescence (TSL) glow curve characteristics of ten dolomitic crystals of Salem and Namakkal districts of Tamilnadu are analysed. The natural thermoluminescence (NTL) measurements were carried out for all the samples and show two peaks at 270 °C and 335 °C. The sample irradiated with a gamma dose of 200 Gy shows an additional peak at 180 °C, when recorded with linear heating rate of 10 °Cs⁻¹. At the same time, the NTL peak at 270 °C is shifted to 260 °C while increasing in intensity and there is no change in the peak position of 335 °C. The annealed sample also shows the same trend. The sample was annealed in air at the temperatures ranging from 200 to 950 °C, at an interval of 50 °C, for 1 h duration. Annealing treatment above 250 °C increases the sensitivity of all three TSL peaks. On the other hand, annealing at 800 °C caused a collapse in the TSL sensitivity. The enhancement in TSL sensitivity was found to depend on the annealing temperature and time. Annealing treatment at 700 °C for 4 h followed by quenching in air is the optimum condition for TSL sensitization. The response to gamma irradiation is linear in the range from 0.5 to 10⁴ Gy. The number of glow peaks was identified through partial heating method. Using peak shape and initial rise method the kinetic parameters (activation energy (E), frequency factor (S) and order of kinetics (b)) were evaluated. The investigations show that the trapping centers are not affected by the annealing procedure. The emission spectra of all the samples show an emission at around 608 nm but with different intensities for each sample. With reference to earlier work, it may be assumed that the recombination site always involves Mn²⁺ ions.     

Investigations of thermoluminescence properties of multicrystalline LiF: Mg,Cu, Si phosphor prepared by edge defined film fed growth technique

Thermoluminescence (TL) properties of LiF: Mg, Cu, Si phosphor prepared in multicrystalline form using edge defined film fed growth (EFG) technique has been investigated. The effect of preparation route on TL properties and thermal stability has been studied. To improve the TL dosimetry properties, phosphor is subjected to different annealing temperatures ranging from 250 °C to 450 °C. The shape of the glow curve structure and peak temperature remains similar at different annealing temperatures, however peak intensities vary. The consistency in the glow curve structure with annealing temperature elucidate that TL trapping states are stable in nature. Thermal annealing at 300 °C for 10 min gives maximum TL intensity with main dosimetry peak at 209 °C. The TL intensity of the main dosimetry peak is increased by a factor of five as compared to as-grown crystal. The thermal stability of LiF: Mg, Cu, Si is found to be better than LiF: Mg, Cu, P. Trapping parameters are calculated to have an insight study of defect states. A simple glow curve structure, tissue equivalency, thermal stability, low residual signal, linear response and reusability makes LiF: Mg, Cu, Si a suitable phosphor for radiation therapy, radio diagnostics and personnel dosimetry applications.     

The glow curve structure for the LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detector with dopants concentrations and sintering temperatures

The glow curve structures for LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors with various dopant concentrations and sintering temperatures were investigated for the improvement of the glow curve structure and sensitivity of the TL detector. The dopant concentrations were varied over the following ranges: Mg (0–0.25 mol%), Cu (0–0.07 mol%), Na and Si (0–1.5 mol%). With increasing Cu concentration, the intensity of the main peak was intensified and reached a maximum at a concentration of 0.05 mol%. The high-temperature peak was reduced. The dependency of the main peak intensity on the Mg concentration exhibits a sharp maximum at 0.2 mol%. The intensity of the high-temperature peak tends to rise slightly with increasing Mg concentration. It was found that the optimum concentrations of the dopants in the LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material are Mg: 0.2 mol%, Cu: 0.05 mol%, Na and Si: 0.9 mol%. The dependency of the main peak intensity on sintering temperature exhibits a very sharp maximum at 830°C. The high-temperature peak was rapidly reduced after 825°C.     

Thermoluminescent dosimetric characteristics of annealed quartz

In the given present study, the effect of pre-irradiation heat treatment at 500 and 600 ^°C on the glow peaks of synthetic quartz was examined as a function of annealing time to obtain an optimum annealing procedure. It was observed that the annealing time is not a strongly sensitive parameter to change the intensities of glow peaks. On the other hand, the intensities of glow peaks between room temperature (RT) and 200 ^°C were continuously increased during successive readings after heat treatments. Moreover, the intensities of glow peaks above 250 ^°C have good stabilities. The obtained repeatability of a glow peak at ～320 ^°C over 10 cycles is within 5% after the application of annealing at 600 ^°C for 1 h. The general thermoluminescent dosimetric characteristics of synthetic quartz, such as the dose–response, signal fading as a function of storage time, and reusability were also tested using the annealing condition at 600 ^°C for 1 h. It was observed that dose-response behaviours of all glow peaks are similar to each other. They first follow linear part and then saturated at different dose levels. Peak 1 completely disappeared after 1 month storage in the dark room at RT. On the other hand, the intensity of peaks 2+3 was approximately reduced to 15% of its original value whereas the other peaks (P4–P5) were not sufficiently affected during this period.     

Further study on the influence of thermal treatments on the glow curve structure in LiF:Mg,Cu,P (GR-200A)

The influence of various annealing treatments with heating temperatures (T_A) from 240 to 700 °C, with re-annealing at 240 °C, and with a combined re-annealing procedure of 20 min at 270 °C followed by 10 min at 240 °C on LiF:Mg,Cu,P (GR-200A) was investigated. As the T_A increased, the intensity decreased rapidly to almost no signal at 340–380 °C then increased clearly and achieved a maximum at 540 °C. The position of the maximum intensity of the glow curve shifted basically in the direction of higher temperatures with an increase at T_A and achieved a maximum of 279 °C when annealed at 460 °C. The re-annealing influenced both the intensity and the glow curve structure at certain degree. The effect of re-annealing on the glow curve depended markedly on the T_A. With re-annealing at 240 °C, the intensity decreased as T_A increased up to 360 °C then increased and achieved a maximum at 540 °C. The intensity could be restored fully when annealed at above 500 °C, however, the glow curve couldn't be restored fully. With a combined annealing, the shape of glow curve of a sample annealed at above 540 °C or below 320 °C was similar to that of the standard glow curve of LiF:Mg,Cu,P and the intensity and glow curve could be restored completely when annealed in the range 620–660 °C. It seems that the main roles of the re-annealing at 240 °C are to restore partially the intensity of peak 4 and peak shape for LiF:Mg,Cu,P when annealed at above 260 °C, and restore fully the total TL intensity of LiF:Mg,Cu,P when annealed at above 500 °C and the main roles of the combined re-annealing are to reduce the intensity of peak 5 and the total TL intensity, increase the intensity of peak 4 and restore the glow curve shape.     

The analysis of thermoluminescent glow peaks of copper doped ZnS thin films after β-irradiation

In the given study, the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of copper (Cu)-doped ZnS thin films were investigated after β-irradiation at room temperature (RT). It was observed that the glow curve of this material has two broad TL peaks, in which one of them was centered at about 110 °C and the other at about 170 °C for a heating rate of 1 °C s⁻¹ in the temperature range from RT to 350 °C. The additive dose (AD), T_m(E_a)−T_stop, repeated initial rise (RIR), variable heating rate (VHR) and computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) methods were used to analyze its glow curves. These methods indicated that the glow curve of this material is the superposition of a number of first- and general-order glow peaks, or at least due to the distribution of traps. The dose responses and fading process of both peaks were also examined, and it was observed that the dose responses of both peaks have similar pattern. First they follow a good linearity with different slopes and then saturate at approximately same dose level (2 kGy). The low-temperature broad peak nearly disappeared after 1 week storage in the dark at RT. On the other hand, the intensity of the high-temperature broad peak was approximately reduced to 50% of its original value. The TL emission spectrum of this material has two main emission bands, namely, the blue and green bands. The first glow peak emits predominantly in blue region, whereas the second glow peak in the green region.     

Trap levels in Y-aluminum garnet scintillating crystals

Point defects acting as trap levels were investigated on undoped, Ce- and (Ce, Si)-doped Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (YAG) crystals by TSL measurements performed over a wide temperature range (10–800 K). Below room temperature, a composite glow curve was observed, whose intensity strongly increased after Ce doping. Moreover, Ce doping introduced new trap levels giving rise to glow peaks in the 100–200 K range. On the other hand, Si co-doping did not influence the low T glow curve in a significant way. The spectral emission of the TSL was found to be governed by the Ce³⁺ 5d–4f radiative transition, while defect related higher energy emission bands were detected only in the undoped crystal. Above RT, the glow curve was found to be much more influenced by Si co-doping since a strong increase of a glow peak at about 250°C was noticed. Scintillation time decays of Ce- and Ce,Si-doped samples are also reported and compared with TSL data. The significance of the results and the potential impact of defect states on the scintillation properties are discussed.     

Thermoluminescence in systems not subject to the usual approximations for first and second order kinetics

The properties of thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves have been studied in systems, containing one or more glow peaks, not restricted to the assumptions used to derive the usual first and second order glow peak kinetic expressions. If retrapping is negligible first order glow peaks are obtained whose peak temperature and shape are independent of other factors such as initial trapped charge concentrations. If retrapping occurs, glow peaks are obtained that are, in most cases, only approximated by first or second order kinetics. Also, in these cases the peak temperature, shape, relative intensity and other glow curve characteristics depend strongly on initial trapped charge concentrations, recombination and retrapping cross sections and other factors.     

The effect of pre-irradiation annealing on the thermoluminescence of LiF:Mg,Cu, P phosphor grown by EFG technique

LiF crystal doped with magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu) and phosphorous (P) was grown in the form of multicrystalline sheet using Edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) technique for dosimetry application. These crystals were grown in argon gas atmosphere using graphite crucible and stainless steel die. Dosimetry peak was observed at 210 °C for as-grown crystal. As reported earlier LiF:Mg, Cu, P is a highly sensitive material but losses its sensitivity if annealed at temperature above 240 °C. In this paper, the effect of annealing temperature on thermoluminescence glow-curve structure, maximum peak temperature, peak height and integrated area of the glow peak of EFG grown samples was investigated in detail. Annealing temperature range from 220 °C to 500 °C was considered for the study. Experimental results of the obtained glow curve show that with increase in annealing temperature, glow peak shift towards higher temperature region with substantial increase in TL intensity. Annealing at 500 °C for 10 min gave maximum TL intensity with main dosimetry peak positioned at 233 °C. Change in the defect structure with different pre-annealing temperature was analysed using trapping parameters.     

The effects of thermal treatments on the thermoluminescence properties of biogenic minerals present in the seashells

In this study, thermoluminescence (TL) properties of the biogenic minerals present in the seashell samples at different temperatures and annealing times have been studied. Three explicit peaks are seen in the glow curves roughly at 100°C, 180°C, and 380°C. One of the prominent results is that annealing above 600°C affects enormously the TL intensity, whereas no remarkable TL intensity is observed for unannealed samples. The highest intensity and area under the curve were observed at 700°C annealing temperature, and 180 minutes annealing time and 1500 times bigger than the unannealed samples. A linear dose response is observed between 2.4 and 72?Gy and beyond this value, a sublinear relation is observed. Unfortunately, a huge decrease in TL intensity is observed about 51% of its initial value, after 5 hours of storage time.     

Defect versus nanocrystal luminescence emitted from room temperature and hot-implanted SiO2 layers

Silicon nanocrystals have been synthesized in SiO₂ matrix using Si ion implantation. Si ions were implanted into 300-nm-thick SiO₂ films grown on crystalline Si at energies of 30–55 keV, and with doses of 5×10¹⁵, 3×10¹⁶, and 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻². Implanted samples were subsequently annealed in an N₂ ambient at 500–1100°C during various periods. Photoluminescence spectra for the sample implanted with 1×10¹⁷ cm⁻² at 55 keV show that red luminescence (750 nm) related to Si-nanocrystals clearly increases with annealing temperature and time in intensity, and that weak orange luminescence (600 nm) is observed after annealing at low temperatures of 500°C and 800°C. The luminescence around 600 nm becomes very intense when a thin SiO₂ sample is implanted at a substrate temperature of 400°C with an energy of 30 keV and a low dose of 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻². It vanishes after annealing at 800°C for 30 min. We conclude that this luminescence observed around 600 nm is caused by some radiative defects formed in Si-implanted SiO₂.     

Application of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol to the 375°C quartz TL signal

We report on investigations into the suitability of a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol applied to the isothermal TL signal obtained from quartz held at 330°C. Samples are first thermally and optically pretreated to remove any signal from the 325°C TL trap. It is shown that the regenerated TL decay curve has the same shape as the natural one, and that recuperation is negligible. Examination of the TL glow curve before and after isothermal measurement suggests that the isothermal signal comes mainly from the 375°C TL peak, and a pulse anneal experiment is used to confirm this. This signal is bleached by simulated sunlight, with a fast component (making up about 60% of the total natural signal) bleaching about 30 times faster than a slower component. The SAR protocol is then applied to 9 samples from various depositional environments, and it is shown that the resulting data satisfy the internal checks of reliability, i.e., independence of prior treatment, and absence of recuperation. Examination of the sensitivity-corrected growth curve shows that the applicable age range for this signal may be only slightly greater than that from the OSL signal derived from the 325°C peak. This limited advantage is offset by the much greater difficulty of bleaching.     

TL response of a natural fluorite

A batch of a naturally occurring fluorite (CaF₂) from the Middle Benue Valley region of Nigeria has been studied in some detail for its thermoluminescence (TL) properties. TL glow peaks are observed at 119, 144 and 224°C at a heating rate of 10°C s⁻¹. The TL response is observed to increase with increasing dose, as expected, over the dose range examined. Variations are observed in the decay curves of the various glow peaks with storage at room temperature. While the lower temperature peaks are observed to decay, enhancement of the TL signal is observed for the 224°C glow peak when stored for four weeks. A low-level radioactivity measurement showed no evidence of self-irradiation from naturally occurring radionuclides. UV exposure was suppressed by storage in a black sealed container to exclude sunlight contribution to the observed TL response. A scheme involving the formation of large defect complexes, from smaller ones, during storage, as possible route leading to loss of signal in low temperature glow peaks and a corresponding enhancement at higher temperature, is suggested.     

OSL from BeO ceramics: new observations from an old material

In BeO ceramics, exposed to ionizing radiation, an intense OSL signal was observed. The properties of the signal and its behavior under various experimental conditions were investigated. It was found that the OSL signal is a composite signal and exhibits strong thermal quenching. The quenching energy was estimated as 0.5 eV. The excitation spectrum of the OSL signal was obtained as a broad peak in the region 420–550 nm with maximum around 435 nm. The possible correlation between the OSL signal and the peaks in the TL glow curve was also examined. It was interesting to observe that the highly light sensitive TL peak near 220°C does not contribute to the OSL signal. The OSL signal was found to originate from a trap near 340°C.

To check the possibility of using the material for radiation dosimetry the dose response and thermal stability of the OSL signal were also investigated. The dose response was found to be quite linear up to 10 Gy. The thermal activation energy of the OSL trap was determined as 1.7 eV using isothermal annealing and heating rate methods thus proving the suitability for dosimetry.     

The origin of photoluminescence in Ge-implanted SiO2 layers

Ge ions were implanted at 100 keV with 3×10¹⁶ cm⁻² into a 300  nm thick SiO₂ layer on Si. Visible photoluminescence (PL) around 2.1 eV from an as-implanted sample is observed, and faded out by subsequent annealing at 900°C for 2 h. However, PL shows up again after annealing above 900°C at the same peak position. Compared with the as-implanted sample, significant increase of Ge–Ge bonds is measured in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the formation of Ge nanocrystals with a diameter of 5 nm are observed in transmission electron microscopy from the sample annealed at 1100°C. We conclude that the PL peak from the sample annealed above 900°C is caused by the quantum confinement effects from Ge nanocrystals, while the luminescence from the as-implanted sample is due to some radiative defects formed by Ge implantation.     

Synthesis, photoluminescence, thermoluminescence and electron spin resonance investigations of CaAl12O19:Eu phosphor

The present paper describes the synthesis of europium-doped calcium aluminate phosphor using the combustion method. An efficient blue emission phosphor can be prepared at reaction temperatures as low as 500 °C in a few minutes by this method. Characterization of the powder was done by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope analysis and the optical properties were studied by photoluminescence spectra. Thermoluminescence (TL) studies also have been carried out on CaAl₁₂O₁₉:Eu²⁺ phosphor. The TL glow curve shows peaks at 174 and 240 °C. Defect centres formed in irradiated phosphor have been studied using the technique of electron spin resonance. Step annealing measurements indicate that one of the annealing stages of a defect centre appear to correlate with the release of carriers resulting in TL peak at 174 °C. The centre is characterized by an isotropic g-value of 2.0046 and is assigned to a F⁺ centre.