Characterization of a GEM-based scintillation detector with He–CF4 gas mixture in clinical proton beams

Abstract

Accurate, high-spatial resolution dosimetry in proton therapy is a time consuming task, and may be challenging in the case of small fields, due to the lack of adequate instrumentation. The purpose of this work is to develop a novel dose imaging detector with high spatial resolution and tissue equivalent response to dose in the Bragg peak, suitable for beam commissioning and quality assurance measurements.A scintillation gas electron multiplier (GEM) detector based on a double GEM amplification structure with optical readout was filled with a He/CF4 gas mixture and evaluated in pristine and modulated proton beams of several penetration ranges. The detector’s performance was characterized in terms of linearity in dose rate, spatial resolution, short- and long-term stability and tissue-equivalence of response at different energies. Depth-dose profiles measured with the GEM detector in the 115–205 MeV energy range were compared with the profiles measured under similar conditions using the PinPoint 3D small-volume ion chamber.The GEM detector filled with a He-based mixture has a nearly tissue equivalent response in the proton beam and may become an attractive and efficient tool for high-resolution 2D and 3D dose imaging in proton dosimetry, and especially in small-field applications.