Abstract
Luminescence properties of point defects in insulating materials are successfully used for solid state light sources and radiation detectors. Among them, colour centres in lithium fluoride, LiF, are well known for their application in tuneable lasers and dosimeters. Broad-band light-emitting F2 and F3+ electronic defects, stable at room temperature, are produced in LiF crystals and films by different kinds of radiation. Under blue optical pumping in their overlapping absorption bands, the efficient photoluminescence spans over the green–red visible spectral range. Novel LiF thin-film radiation imaging detectors based on the exploitation of the peculiar spectral characteristics of F2 and F3+ defects and of the optical properties and radiation sensitivity of the LiF material have been proposed and successfully tested for extreme ultraviolet radiation, soft and hard X-ray imaging, including micro-radiography of biological objects, even for in vivo samples. After exposure to X-rays, the latent images stored in the LiF thin layers by local formation of active defects are read with conventional and advanced optical fluorescence microscopes. Among the main advantages of the LiF thin-film imaging detectors, there are intrinsic very high spatial resolution, large field of view and wide dynamic range. Moreover, these solid state radiation detectors are easy to handle, as insensitive to ambient light, and no development process is needed. Recently their use has been extended to proton beam advanced diagnostics. In this paper, a short review of their properties, results and applications in X-ray biological imaging and proton dose-mapping is presented, underlying the great versatility and potentialities offered by LiF thin films, whose photoluminescence response can be improved through the choice of suitable substrates and growth conditions.
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