Emergency Dosimetry Using Ceramic Components in Personal Electronic Devices

Abstract

The rapid assessment of radiation dose to members of the public exposed to significant levels of ionizing radiation during a radiological incident presents a significant difficulty in the absence of planned radiation monitoring. However, within most personal electronic devices components such as resistors with alumina substrates can be found that have potentially suitable properties as solid state dosimeters using luminescence measurement techniques. The suitability of several types of ceramic-based components (e.g., resonators, inductors and resistors) has been previously examined using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) techniques to establish their basic characteristics for the retrospective determination of absorbed dose. In this paper, we present results obtained with aluminum oxide surface mount resistors extracted from mobile phones that further extend this work. Very encouraging results have been obtained related to the measurement of luminescence sensitivity, dose response, reusability, limit of detection, signal reproducibility and known-dose recovery. However, the alumina exhibits a rapid loss of the latent luminescence signal with time following irradiation attributed to athermal (or anomalous) fading. The issues related to obtaining a reliable correction protocol for this loss and the detailed examinations required of the fading behavior are discussed.

Retrospective and emergency dosimetry in response to radiological incidents and nuclear mass-casualty events: A review

“…Eakins et al (2016) described the fading by a sum of exponentials. One possibility for the discrepancy between the observations of Beerten et al (2011) and others may be a contribution to the fading from thermal decay processes (e.g., Kouroukla et al, 2014). Beerten et al (2011) did not use a pre-heat (after irradiation and before OSL measurement).…”

“…Woda et al (2010) also examined the fading of OSL from these materials and noted a change in shape of the OSL decay curve after a long storage time, indicating that the most light-sensitive part of the OSL signal faded first such that care must be taken when comparing the OSL signal from an accident dose obtained several days after the irradiation event with that obtained during calibration procedures in the laboratory. Most authors (e.g., Inrig et al, 2008, Inrig et al, 2010, Ekendahl and Judas, 2012and Kouroukla et al, 2014 consistently observe the hyperbolic fading behavior of the OSL from the SMR alumina substrates, but fading that did not follow this law has also been observed. Beerten et al (2011) could not describe the fading using a t −1 law and instead found that the fading could be described as the sum of three exponentials, plus a constant.…”

“…Estimates of the MMD vary, but are generally in the range of a few tens of mGy (e.g., Inrig et al, 2008, Inrig et al, 2010and Kouroukla et al, 2014, even after correction for fading. Analysis of published uncertainties in the estimation of the dose using OSL from SMRs reveals an expected uncertainty of ∼±20%, consistent with the uncertainties from other suggested emergency dosimetry methods .…”

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry in irradiated alumina substrates from mobile phone resistors

“…OSL of electronic components offers a relatively fast method of dose assessment (results within hours), with a minimum detectable absorbed dose (MDD) under laboratory conditions, using read-out techniques currently available, estimated to be in the order of tens of mGy (e.g. Inrig et al 2008 ; Kouroukla et al 2014 ). One of the characteristics of this technique is that the OSL signal declines over time, a process generally referred to as fading.…”

Luminescence characteristics of some common polyester fabrics: Application to emergency dosimetry

“…In this paper we describe an investigation of the luminescence characteristics of a set of 26 fabrics sampled from a range of garment fabrics woven with natural, polyester and mixed fibres of differing colours with the aim of obtaining more detailed information regarding the nature of the luminescence using experimental approaches similar to those applied to alumina substrates by Kouroukla et al (2014), and with the broader objective of examining their suitability for application to emergency dosimetry. We also draw upon the results of earlier research in which the TL properties of polymeric materials were investigated (e.g., Partridge, 1972;Aramu et al, 1971) below room temperature, together with more recent investigations (e.g., Tardieu et al, 2001).…”