Recent Advances in Silica Glass Optical Fiber for Dosimetry Applications

Abstract

In this paper, we review the highly promising silica glass, fabricated as doped and undoped optical fiber for intended use in radiation dosimetry. The dosimetry techniques reviewed here, underpinned by intrinsic and extrinsic defects in silica glass, focus on Thermoluminescence (TL), Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and Radioluminescence (RL), with occasional references to the much more established Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA). The other focus in this review is on the various materials that have been reported earlier as dopants and modifiers used in silica glass optical fiber radiation dosimeters. This article also elaborates on recently reported optical fiber structures, namely, cylindrical fibers, photonic crystal fibers and flat fibers, as well as dimensions and shapes used for optimization of dosimeter performance. The various types of optical fiber radiation dosimeters are subsequently reviewed for various applications ranging from medical dosimetry such as in external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy and diagnostic imaging, as well as in industrial processing and space dosimetry covering a dynamic dose range from μGy to kGy. Investigated dosimetric characteristics include reproducibility, fading, dose response, reciprocity between luminescence yield to dose-rate and energy dependence. The review is completed by a brief discussion on limitations and future developments in optical fiber radiation dosimetry.

Modern Smart Street Light Monitoring Systems

“…Figure 1 -Prototype of automatic street lighting system [23] On the other hand, silica glass used in streetlight applications can encounter significant challenges related to the accumulation of dust and water [24][25][26]. Dust particles settling on the surface of the glass over time can have a detrimental effect on its optical transparency, reducing light transmission and overall brightness.…”

Recent Advances in Optical Fiber Enabled Radiation Sensors

“…Nowadays, optical fiber-based radiation sensors show several unique advantages owing to their material and structural features when being used in radiation sensing [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Firstly, optical fiber sensors are small in size, light in weight, long in the sensing distance, and flexible to bend.…”

“…Moreover, fiber-derived sensors provide a much wider monitoring range compared to conventional integrated sensors. It is difficult for the conventional integrated sensors to monitor a large area with the point-by-point detection, but for optical fiber sensors being distributed over a very long distance over kilometers, sensing at every point along the fiber becomes possible with the optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) technology [6,9]. Secondly, with the prosperous development of the fiber fabrication technology and related material engineering, the optical fiber has been developed from the core-cladding structure based on quartz glass to composite structures with multi-materials, including semiconductors, metals, doped silica glasses, oxide glasses, chalcogenide glasses, and functional polymers [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”

Investigation of the Incorporation of Cerium Ions in MCVD-Silica Glass Preforms for Remote Optical Fiber Radiation Dosimetry

“…They also offer high spatial resolution of the measurement with the possibility to work in hazardous, narrow and constrained environments. Among several radiation dosimetry techniques, the application of optical fibers started with thermoluminescence (TL) [ 6 ], and followed by radiation induced attenuation (RIA), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radioluminescence (RL) [ 7 ]. For RL based techniques, the scintillation signal from the radiation exposed probe can be recorded, allowing real-time dose-rate measurements, which makes this technique very interesting for applications in medical or severe environmental domains.…”