On the use of MWCVD diamond as thermoluminescent gamma dosimeter

The thermoluminescence (TL) characterization of microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition diamond (MWCVD) films of 6 and 12 μm thickness grown on (1 0 0) silicon substrates was performed. The films exhibited a single well-resolved TL peak around 580 K at doses lower than 40 Gy. As the irradiation dose increased the TL peak broaden and shifted towards the low temperature side of the glow curve. The diamond samples exposed to 0.67 Gy/min 60Co gamma radiation displayed a linear dose behavior up to 100 Gy being non-linear for higher doses. The 12 μm film showed lower TL efficiency as compared to the 6 μm specimen. The discrepancy was attributed to the non-uniform distribution of nucleated sp3 diamond and sp2 bonded carbon on the substrate as revealed by SEM micrograph and Raman spectroscopy of the samples. The integrated TL glow curve of the samples exhibited low room temperature thermal fading and 3% reproducibility. The results show that MWCVD diamond films possess promising properties for radiation dosimetry applications.