Thermoluminescent dosimetric properties of CaF2:Tm produced by combustion synthesis

Calcium Fluoride is one of the oldest known thermoluminescent materials and is considered to be one of the most sensitive. This work presents the dosimetric properties results of CaF2:Tm produced by combustion synthesis. The X-ray diffraction confirmed that CaF2 was successfully produced. TL emission spectra, obtained using a Hammamatsu optical spectrometer, have the same lines of commercial CaF2:Tm, although transitions 3P0→3F4 (455 nm) and 1G4→3H6 (482 nm) are shown to be proportionally more intense. The deconvolution technique was employed and seven glow peaks were found similar to the commercial CaF2:Tm. A linear dose response curve was obtained for the range 0.1 mGy to 100 Gy, with the onset of a supralinear behavior at 50 Gy up to 100 Gy. The minimum measurable dose for gamma was around 100 μGy for a 6.0 mm diameter by 1.0 mm in thickness pellet. No significant fading was observed in 60 days of storage, within experimental uncertainties, showing that the main dosimetric peak is stable.