Photon energy response optimization using few-channel spectroscopy dose method for Si-PIN photodetector applied in personal dose equivalent measurements

Abstract

Si-PIN photodetectors having features such as low cost, small size, low weight, low voltage, and low power consumption are widely used as radiation detectors in electronic personal dosimeters (EPDs). The technical parameters of EPDs based on the Si-PIN photodetectors include photon energy response (PER), angular response, inherent error, and dose rate linearity. Among them, PER is a key parameter for evaluation of EPD measurement accuracy. At present, owing to the limitations of volume, power consumption, and EPD cost, the PER is usually corrected by a combination of single-channel counting techniques and filtering material methods. However, the above-mentioned methods have problems such as poor PER and low measurement accuracy. To solve such problems, in this study, a 1024-channel spectrometry system using a Si-PIN photodetector was developed and full-spectrum measurement in the reference radiation fields was conducted for radiation protection. The measurement results using the few-channel spectroscopy dose method showed that the PER could be controlled within ± 14% and ± 2% under the conditions of two and three energy intervals, respectively, with different channel numbers. The PER measured at 0° angle of radiation incidence meets the − 29% to +67% requirements of IEC 61526:2010. Meanwhile, the channel number and counts-to-dose conversion factors formed in the experiment can be integrated into an EPD.