Investigation and performance tests of a new parallel plate ionization chamber with double sensitive volume for measuring diagnostic X-rays

Medical diagnostic equipment, like diagnostic radiology and mammography require a dosimeter with high accuracy for dosimetry of the diagnostic X-ray beam. Ionization chambers are suitable instruments for dosimetry of diagnostic-range X-ray beams because of their appropriate response and high reliability. This work introduces the design and fabrication of a new parallel plate ionization chamber with a PMMA body, graphite-coated PMMA windows (0.5 mm thick) and a graphite-foil central electrode (0.1 mm thick, 0.7 g/cm3 dense). This design improves upon the response characteristics of existing designs through the specific choice of materials as well as the appropriate size and arrangement of the ionization chamber components. The results of performance tests conducted at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry laboratory in Karaj-Iran demonstrated the short and long-term stability, the low leakage current, the low directional dependence, and the high ion collection efficiency of the design. Furthermore, the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations confirmed the low effect of central electrode on this new ionization chamber response. The response characteristics of the parallel plate ionization chamber presented in this work makes the instrument suitable for use as a standard dosimeter in laboratories.