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Description
PADC detectors are made from a thermosetting polymer used as solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs), being directly sensitive to charged particles and indirectly to neutrons. For this reason, this type of detector is ideal for use at ELI-NP, due to its sensitivity to a wide range of particles and radiation types. A second reason for using these detectors at ELI-NP is the fact that they are passive detectors, thus being independent of the pulsed characteristics of the laser beam.
In the dosimetry laboratory at ELI-NP, this type of detector will be used as a passive neutron dosimeter, designed for the assessment of the dose received by occupationally exposed workers and for environmental monitoring. The laboratory is equipped with an automated dosimetric system for reading and analyzing neutron-induced tracks and a dedicated space for chemical etching of the detectors.
In order to be used for this purpose, the dosimetric system must pass the tests specified in ISO 21909. One of these tests is the linearity test, which was parțial performed on groups of six detectors at H*(10) doses of 0.3, 1, 3, 10, 30, and 100 mSv. These detectors were read by am international accredited dosimetric laboratory and then at ELI-NP. Following chemical etching and analysis using the automated system, it was observed that some of the detectors exhibited defects originating from the manufacturing process, which made their reading difficult and led to a higher measurement error compared to the other accredited dosimetric laboratory. Consequently, a stricter quality control method for new PADC detectors was adopted în The Dosimetry Laboratory of ELI-NP and the linearity test will be repeated with detectors that pass the quality control, as well as improved system settings to reduce measurement errors.
