Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

Proton Bragg peak imaging by colour centre radiophotoluminescence in lithium fluoride thin film radiation detectors on silicon

TitleProton Bragg peak imaging by colour centre radiophotoluminescence in lithium fluoride thin film radiation detectors on silicon
Publication TypeArticolo su Rivista peer-reviewed
Year of Publication2023
AuthorsMontereali, Maria Rita, Nichelatti E., Nigro V., Picardi L., Piccinini M., Ampollini A., Libera S., Ronsivalle C., and Vincenti M.A.
JournalJournal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics
Volume34
ISSN09574522
KeywordsBragg curves, Broadband light, color, Color centers, Colour centers, Energy, fluorescence, Fluorescence image, Fluorine Compounds, Intelligent systems, Lithium Fluoride, Monte Carlo methods, Proton beams, Proton Bragg peak, Proton irradiation, Proton therapy, Protons irradiations, silicon, Silicon detectors, Substrates, Thin-films
Abstract

Optically transparent lithium fluoride (LiF) thin films, thermally evaporated on Si(100) substrates, are under investigation as novel radiation detectors based on radiophotoluminescence for imaging of the full Bragg curves of proton beams produced by a linear accelerator for proton therapy under development at ENEA C.R. Frascati. Proton irradiation induces the formation of stable colour centres in LiF, amongst which the broadband light-emitting F2 and F3+ aggregate defects, whose concentrations are locally proportional to the energy deposited in the material. Their spatial distributions in the irradiated LiF thin films and crystals are carefully measured by acquiring the latent two-dimensional visible fluorescence images with an optical microscope under blue lamp excitation. Several LiF films grown on silicon substrate were irradiated in air at increasing proton energies up to 35 MeV with their surface parallel to the particle beam and a cleaved edge perpendicularly facing it; for each sample, the fluorescence image acquired from the top surface side of the film allows to obtain the depth profile of the energy released by protons. Differences in colour centre distributions detected in LiF films with respect to LiF crystals are presented and discussed. Accurate Monte Carlo simulations allow to fully explain their experimental behaviours, paving the way towards using LiF film radiation detectors on silicon for the advanced diagnostics of proton beams at typical particle energies used for proton therapy. © 2023, The Author(s).

Notes

cited By 0

URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85147516122&doi=10.1007%2fs10854-022-09770-w&partnerID=40&md5=572b4950560fe3f62de822b4e5438ec2
DOI10.1007/s10854-022-09770-w
Citation KeyMontereali2023