Three newly developed BeO-based OSL dosimeters

Abstract This work presents the structural, morphological, luminescent and dosimetric characteristics of newly produced BeO based ceramic pellets, namely, BeO:Na5%,Ce0.01%,Er0.01%, BeO:Na5%,Ce0.005%,Tb0.05%, and BeO:Na5%,Ce0.01%,Dy0.01% by a simultaneous comparison with the commercially developed BeO Thermalox 995 chips. In this study, the BeO-based ceramics have been prepared using the co-precipitation synthesis method. Their phase formation and morphology have been confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive x-ray (EDS) analyses. To investigate the luminescence characteristics of the studied samples for dosimetry applications, the trap properties were identified using the TL and OSL emissions, step-annealing curve analyses, and experimental determination of temperature dependence. It was investigated that luminescence bands located between 300 and 400 nm (i.e., 3–4 eV) are dependent on the same luminescence mechanism in all radiation-induced luminescence effects used in dosimetry (RL, TL, and OSL). These newly developed BeO dosimeters with high OSL sensitivity and good reproducibility gave a linear response to β-radiation exposure from 0.5 to 100 Gy. The energy response of the samples was discussed. Negligible decay of stored OSL was determined as almost 7% after 3 months of storage. The application of BeO dosimeters for medical monitoring was discussed in comparison to the OSL evaluations from the Thermalox 995.