The Radamon radon detector and an example of application

The etched track type Radamon radon detector is presented. As an example of application representative indoor radon survey was performed in Gyergyóremete (Romania) to pilot a study that can be done in other places of the country. Gyergyóremete was selected, because it was built on volcanic rock, where a number of aligning mineral water springs indicates the existence of geological faulting, and therefore, it was suspected that the village could be on a radon prone area. Measurements were done in sleeping rooms at pillow level. Representativity of the sample was ensured by random pull of 120 houses from the stock (hypergeometric statistical model). From the results it can be stated that the percentages of houses expected to have annual average ²²²Rn activity concentration higher than 400 Bqm⁻³ is less than 1%.     

Ra in geothermal and bottled mineral waters of Hungary

Geothermal waters have been used on a large scale for bathing, drinking and medical purposes, while the consumption of bottled mineral waters is increasing. In this work, radon and radium activity concentrations of thermal and bottled mineral waters, originating from different regions of Hungary, were studied by different radioanalytical methods. It was found that the thermal springs, which supply the world famous baths of Budapest along the right riverside of the Danube, have high ²²²Rn and ²²⁶Ra activity concentration: up to about 100 and 1 kBqm⁻³, respectively. The radium content of some investigated geothermal waters found in the NE region of the Great Hungarian Plain is even higher: up to several kBqm⁻³. The ²²⁶Ra content of bottled mineral waters, commercially available in Hungary, was determined by gamma-spectrometric method, applying radiochemical separation. The highest value exceeded 2 kBqm⁻³ in the case of the Apenta mineral water, which is a popular brand in Hungary, as well as in Europe and North America.     

System for calibration of track detectors used in gaseous and solid alpha radionuclides monitoring

A laboratory system for the calibration of track detectors and charcoal detectors used in monitoring of radon and its decay products/their aerosols in air, is proposed. The system consists of three main components: (i) the alpha exposure chambers, including alpha monitoring devices and the connection with the ²²⁶Ra radioactive source. The CR-39 track detectors are mounted in the monitoring devices pre-equipped or not with paper filter; (ii) the calibrated  ²²⁶Ra source. Among the three tested sources: ²²²Rn, ²²⁶Ra+²²²Rn and ²²⁶Ra, the ²²⁶Ra source is considered the most appropriate radon source for our calibration system. It is kept into an airtight flat bottom flask, the radionuclide ²²⁶Ra being always in the radioactive equilibrium with their descendants. In the alpha exposure chambers, the source assures the radon at a constant rate; (iii) the ALFAUURASE program for the computation of radioactive accumulation of the alpha ²²⁶Ra descendants. For any initial mass of the parent, the amount and the activity of each alpha decay product and of all the decay products can be calculated by this computation program. Each component of the calibration system is described in the paper. The use of the system for the calibration of CR-39 track detectors in radon measurements is tested.     

Correlation between radon exhalation and radium content in granite samples used as construction material in Saudi Arabia

Measurements of radon exhalation for a total of 205 selected samples of construction materials used in Saudi Arabia were carried out using an active radon gas analyzer with an emanation container. It was found that granite samples were the main source of radon exhalation. The radon exhalation rates per unit area from these granite samples varied from below the minimum detection limit up to with an average of 1.5 . The radium contents of 27 granite samples were measured using an HPGe-based γ spectroscopy setup. The ²²⁶Ra content of the granites varied from below the minimum detection limit up to , with an average of . The linear correlation coefficient between exhaled radon and radium content was found to be 0.90.     

Measurements of radon concentration in drinking water samples from Kastamonu (Turkey)

Concentration of ²²²Rn was determined in selected natural spring and tap water samples collected during spring and summer seasons from Kastamonu, Turkey. The aim of this work was to produce a map of the radon concentrations in water sources of the province and to determine any potential radiological risk for the local population. Radon measurements were performed by an AlphaGUARD radon gas analyser. The average radon concentrations were found to vary from 0.39±0.02 to 12.73±0.39 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.36±0.04 to 9.29±0.45 Bq l^?1 for tap water in spring, from 0.50±0.09 to 19.21±1.00 Bq l^?1 for natural springs and from 0.31±0.03 to 13.14±0.38 Bq l^?1 for tap water in summer. Furthermore, the results are compared with international recommendations and concentrations reported for other countries. Doses resulting from the consumption of these waters were calculated. The effective dose equivalents due to the intake of the ²²²Rn present in these waters are expected to range from 0.93 to 32.54 μSv y^?1 in summer and from 0.80 to 49.09 μSv y^?1 in spring.     

Determination of thorium and uranium contents in soil samples using SSNTD’s passive method

Thorium-to-uranium ratios have been determined in different soil samples using CR-39 and LR-115-II solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). A calibration method based on determination of SSNTD registration sensitivity ratio for α-particles of thorium and uranium series has been developed. Thorium and uranium contents of the standard soil samples have been determined and compared with its known values. There is a good agreement between the results of this method and the values of standard samples. The method is simple, inexpensive, non-destructive and has a wide range of applications in environment, building materials and petroleum fields.     

Determination of the range of alpha particles in SSNTD by optical density method

A technique based on the optical density (D) measurement of the etched track is useful for charged particles spectroscopy using SSNTD. It was shown that the stopping power of alpha particles in CR-39 is proportional to D. We measured the optical density and derived an expression to estimate the range of alpha particles in CR-39 detector as a function of the bulk etching rate and etching time. The relation between the etching time, track parameters (depth, radius) and D for different alpha particles energy and etching conditions were studied. A relation describing D as a function of track size is proposed.     

Comparison of active and passive radon survey in cave atmosphere,and estimation of the radon exposed dose equivalents and gamma absorbed dose rates

Radon (²²²Rn) measurements were conducted in the Pileki Cave with Radim 3A Active Radon Monitor equipment. Measurements were also done with the passive sampling method with CR-39 nuclear track detectors by exposing them for three months in the cave. Radon concentrations obtained from the active and passive sampling methods showed that, firstly, the concentrations inside the cave measured by the latter method differed greatly due to high humidity levels up to 88%. The total inside radon exposure dose equivalent people were subjected to was estimated to be 19?µSv a^?1 for visitors and 24,065?µSv a^?1 for guides. The gamma absorbed dose rates were determined for inside and outside the cave. The dose rates were calculated by means of using the ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K activity concentrations and by means of real-time measurements. The gamma absorbed dose rates were found to be much higher than the value of 55?nGy?h^?1 given by UNSCEAR. In addition, the mineralogical compositions and elemental analyses of samples taken from the cave were determined by XRD and WD-XRF methods.     

Seasonal variations of radon and the radiation exposure levels in Nerja cave, Spain

²²²Rn concentrations in the air in Nerja cave (Spain) (3° 52′35′′W 36° 43′50′′N) were measured by continuous monitoring using Alpha-Guard, Genitron instrument equipment. The ²²²Rn measurements were carried out for a complete annual cycle in the different halls: Vestibule hall from July 2003 to June 2004, Ballet hall from July 2004 to June 2005 and Mirador hall from July 2005 to June 2006. Starting from the entrance of the cave we successively find the Vestibule hall, the Ballet hall and the Mirador hall. The range of ²²²Rn levels were of 8–627 Bq m⁻³ for the Vestibule hall, 28–575 Bq m⁻³ for the Ballet hall and 38–578 Bq m⁻³ for the Mirador. The aim of this study was to detect seasonal variation patterns of ²²²Rn concentrations. The seasonal variations of ²²²Rn concentrations are discussed in relation to various meteorological factors measured inside and outside the cave. The radiation exposure levels for workers and tourists with different equilibrium factors have been evaluated. The radiation exposure levels for workers and tourists only represent a low percentage of the exposure guides for the general population.     

Temperature and drain bias dependence of single event transient in 25-nm FinFET technology

In this paper,we investigate the temperature and drain bias dependency of single event transient(SET) in 25-nm fin field-effect-transistor(FinFET) technology in a temperature range of 0-135°C and supply voltage range of 0.4 V-1.6 V.Technology computer-aided design(TCAD) three-dimensional simulation results show that the drain current pulse duration increases from 0.6 ns to 3.4 ns when the temperature increases from 0 to 135°C.The charge collected increases from 45.5 fC to 436.9 fC and the voltage pulse width decreases from 0.54 ns to 0.18 ns when supply voltage increases from 0.4 V to 1.6 V.Furthermore,simulation results and the mechanism of temperature and bias dependency are discussed.     

Temperature dependence of the sticking coefficient in atomic layer deposition

The temperature dependence of the sticking coefficient (SC) of precursor molecules used in atomic layer deposition (ALD) was investigated. Tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)hafnium (TEMAHf) and Pentamethylcyclopentadienyltitan-trimethoxid (Cp*Ti(OMe)₃) were used in combination with ozone to deposit hafnium dioxide and titanium dioxide films at different substrate temperatures. The SC of TEMAHf was determined at 180, 230, and 270 °C. The SC of TEMAHf depends exponentially on the substrate temperature. The activation energy and the pre-exponential factor were obtained for this ALD process. The SC of Cp*Ti(OMe)₃ was determined at 270 °C. A possible explanation for the small SC of Cp*Ti(OMe)₃ could be the reduced symmetry of the precursor molecule. Therefore, symmetric precursor molecules and high process temperatures appear beneficial for efficient ALD processes.     

Temperature dependence of chlorine NQR in 2-chloro 5-nitrobenzoic acid and 4-chloro 3-nitrobenzoic acid

Temperature dependence of chlorine nuclear quadrupole resonance in 2-chloro 5-nitrobenzoic acid and 4-chloro 3-nitrobenzoic acid has been investigated in the region 77° K to room temperature. No phase transition has been observed. The results are analysed to obtain the torsional frequencies and their temperature dependence. A nonlinear temperature dependence is obtained for the torsional frequencies.     

铌锰锆钛酸铅铁电陶瓷电滞回线的温度和频率响应

研究了Pb［(Zr052Ti048)095(Mn1/3Nb2/3)005］O3 (PMnN_PZT) 铁电陶瓷电滞回线的温度和频率响应,结果显示在高频和室温条件下测试铁电特性时,电滞回线呈现“束腰”形状,而不是通常所看到的方形回线 . 在低频和高温条件下测试时才能观察到正常的方形回线,同时,诸如矫顽场、极化强度、 内偏场这些重要的铁电参数也会随频率和温度发生显著的变化. 剩余极化强度随频率和温度 的大幅增长表明“束腰” 电滞回线有可能是由于缺陷偶极子引起的. 电滞回线形状与温度 和频率存在较强的相关性说明缺陷偶极子存在一特征弛豫时间,缺陷偶极子反转响应速度由 此弛豫时间决定. 关键词： 电滞回线 氧空位 频率响应 温度响应     

In situ measurements of radon levels in water and soil and exhalation rate in areas of Malwa belt of Punjab (India)

Radon concentration levels in water and soil gas from 36 locations pertaining to some areas of Malwa region of Punjab have been measured on an in situ basis using a continuous active radon detector (AlphaGuard, Model – PQ 2000 PRO, Genitron instruments, Germany). Exhalation rate measurements have also been carried out at these places, using a closed-circuit technique. The radon concentrations in soil and water varied from 1.9 to 16.4 kBq m^?3 and 5.01 to 11.6 kBq m^?3, respectively. The exhalation rate (E _Rn) ranged between 7.48 and 35.88 mBq m^?2 s^?1 with an average value of 18.17 mBq m^?2 s^?1. Annual dose rates have been calculated for water radon concentrations. The minimum to maximum values of dose rates were found to be 13.42–31.08 μSv y^?1. The recorded values of radon concentration in water are within the safe limit of 11 Bq l^?1 recommended by the US Environment Protection Agency [National Research Council, Risk Assessment of Radon in Drinking Water (Academy Press, Washington, DC, USA, 1999)]. All measurements were made in similar climatic and environmental conditions to ensure minimal variations in meteorological parameters. An intermediate correlation coefficient (0.5) was observed between radon exhalation rates and soil gas values.     

Temperature dependence of the P-hit single event transient pulse width in a three-transistor inverter chain

A comparison of the temperature dependence of the P-hit single event transient (SET) in a two-transistor (2T) inverter with that in a three-transistor (3T) inverter is carried out based on a three-dimensional numerical simulation.Due to the significantly distinct mechanisms of the single event change collection in the 2T and the 3T inverters,the temperature plays different roles in the SET production and propagation.The SET pulse will be significantly broadened in the 2T inverter chain while will be compressed in the 3T inverter chain as temperature increases.The investigation provides a new insight into the SET mitigation under the extreme environment,where both the high temperature and the single event effects should be considered.The 3T inverter layout structure (or similar layout structures) will be a better solution for spaceborne integrated circuit design for extreme environments.     

Temperature dependence of the P-hit single event transient pulse width in a three-transistor inverter chain

A comparison of the temperature dependence of the P-hit single event transient (SET) in a two-transistor (2T) inverter with that in a three-transistor (3T) inverter is carried out based on a three-dimensional numerical simulation. Due to the significantly distinct mechanisms of the single event change collection in the 2T and the 3T inverters, the temperature plays different roles in the SET production and propagation. The SET pulse will be significantly broadened in the 2T inverter chain while will be compressed in the 3T inverter chain as temperature increases. The investigation provides a new insight into the SET mitigation under the extreme environment, where both the high temperature and the single event effects should be considered. The 3T inverter layout structure (or similar layout structures) will be a better solution for spaceborne integrated circuit design for extreme environments.     

Permittivity and its temperature dependence in hexagonal structure BN dominated by the local electric field

This paper presents an analysis of the local electric field in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by introducing a modified parameter. Based on the determination of the modified parameter of h-BN, the revised Lorenz equation is developed. Then the permittivity at high temperature and in the microwave frequency is investigated. In addition, this equation is derived for evaluating the temperature coefficient of the permittivity of h-BN. The analyses show that the permittivity increases with increasing temperature, which is mainly attributed to the positive temperature coefficient of the ionic polarizability.     

Temperature dependence of single event transient in 90-nm CMOS dual-well and triple-well NMOSFETs

This paper investigates the temperature dependence of single event transient (SET) in 90-nm complementary metat-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) dual-well and triple-well negative metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (NMOSFETs). Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) three-dimensional (3D) simulations show that the drain current pulse duration increases from 85 ps to 245 ps for triple-well but only increases from 65 ps to 98 ps for dual-well when the temperature increases from -55℃ to 125℃, which is closely correlated with the source of NMOSFETs. This reveals that the pulse width increases with temperature in dual-well due to the weakening of anti-amplification bipolar effect while increases with temperature in triple-well due to the enhancement of the bipolar amplification.     

基于光纤Bragg光栅的冰与水交界面附近的温度场分布检测研究

通过研究冰与水交界面附近温度场分布情况为找到冰情检测新方法及研究冰水转化提供理论指导。在水域投入冰后,对冰-水热传导影响冰水交界面附近温度变化进行了检测。对离冰水交界面在5~9cm、-4~0cm、0~4cm、-5~-9cm处温度分布研究拟合得到点距冰与水交界面距离与温度关系函数,数据验证,拟合值与监测值误差在±(0.1~0.3℃)。当冰与水交界面温度场引起附近温差越大,冰水转化越快,易引发冰情。