Development and Characterization of Mgb4o7 for Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimetry

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate MgB4O7 for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry. First, detailed characterization of MgB4O7:Ce,Li, shown in literature recently as a potential OSL material, was conducted to find avenues for improvement to the material. These studies include characterization of luminescence centers and dosimetric properties of the material. The MgB4O7 material was improved through changes to the synthesis, which includes modifying the annealing procedure and addition of a third codopant. The focus of these studies was to find a material with greater OSL sensitivity and reduced sensitization compared with the original material. The final material was eight times brighter than the original material and showed less than a third of the sensitization of the original material. Finally, attempts were made to determine mechanisms for various behaviors in MgB4O7. The behaviors of interest were the mechanisms for sensitization and the location ground state energies of lanthanides in MgB4O7. Understanding the mechanisms for sensitization allows for sensitization to be eliminated through readout modification. Determining the ground state energies allows for trap engineering within the material that was not useful for OSL but could be useful for other applications.