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Beam Interactions
with Materials & Atoms
ELSEVIER
Abstract
A simple sensitive charged particle irradiation chamber was designed and constructed in our laboratory. A circular
rotating table with six detector holders, is contained in the chamber. The rotation is controlled electronically via a stepper
motor with a precision of 1.8°. The beam-to-detector direction is changeable with an angle less than 5°. An alpha source is
allowed to move vertically using another stepper motor. The source-to-detecior distance is determined with an accuracy
better than 1.0 mm. An energy monitoring system, composed of a silicon surface barrier detector and a signal electronic
system attached to a PC is used for energy calibration. Chamber characterization and its application in nuclear track
registration are studied under different conditions. The energy resolution of CR-39 plastic detector has been obtained at
various alpha energies and etching durations. Results showed that good detector resolution could be achieved at high etching
duration.
So, the chamber was really designed to cover all our needs a schematic diagram of one of the plastic detector holders
as well as to be used in future plans of studies. (H). The surface barrier detector is connected to a radiation
Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the designed analyzer system compacted to a PC multichannel computer
irradiation chamber. It is essentially a stainless steel bell for energy monitoring and calibration.
jar of diameter and height 30 and 40 cm, respectively. This At the upper part of the chamber there is a source
jar is tightly mounted on a 50 × 50 cm square base, made holder (SH) (see Fig. 1) which is attached to a bakelite
of 2.5 cm thick plexiglas, through an O-ring in order to fibre roof. Fig. 2b shows the holder (SH) in more explicit
assure good vacuum inside the chamber. On one side of way. The SH holder easily moves up and down using a
the jar there is a window (W) which can be used as a view second stepper motor (M2) and consequently be controlled
to observe what is going in just before irradiation starts. from outside. An alpha source (S) is supported on the
Inside the chamber there is a circular rotating table (T) of lower end of the SH holder so the source is facing the
diameter 15 cm made of bakelite fibre materials and table (T). The source-to-detector distance can be deter-
supported to the chamber base through a metal rod. It is mined with an accuracy better than 1.0 mm. There is a
allowed to rotate electronically using an underneath pully magnetic shutter (MS), attached to the axial metallic rod,
connected to a stepper motor (M1) through rubber belt (see which was constructed in order to accurately control the
Fig. 1). M1 is connected to a drive so that speed and irradiation duration. The chamber is connected to a two-
direction of rotation can precisely be controlled from stage rotary pump (P) and the vacuum is monitored and
outside. The stepper motor drive circuit was also designed controlled using a needle valve and a digital pirany gauge
using IC-SAA 1027. There are five plastic detector holders (G). Through the chamber base there are four cables
(H) and a sixth one (D) is used for the surface barrier labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4 which are connected to the surface
detector. All holders are mounted on the table (T) and barrier detector, motor (M1), motor (M2) and the magnetic
simultaneously rotate with it. Each holder (H) is attached shutter (MS), respectively. In this way, the movement of
to an angle scale with a precision better than 2°, so one can everything inside the chamber is now electronically con-
precisely determine the beam incident angle. Fig. 2a shows trolled from outside.
ml
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Fig. 1. Block diagram of the constructed irradiation chamber.
96 M.M. El-Hawary et aI. / NucI. Instr. and Meth. in Phys. Res. B 103 (1995) 94-98
3
),
o
(b
Pro=~=;uro t Tort ]
" I I I 4 ],4,T
Fig. 2. A design of the detector holder, H, (a) and source holder,
SH, (b).
En~r~ I Me¥ 1
1 4. Conclusion
| The present constructed irradiation chamber operates
quite well where alpha energies are now being precisely
determined via a fine adjustment of pressure and source-
to-detector distance. An empirical energy-pressure rela-
tionship is obtained and applicable within a wide range of
energies with a correlation coefficient of about 99%. Five
plastic detectors of different orientations to the beam direc-
tion can be adjusted in the chamber at once. The energy
resolution is seriously affected by alpha energy and etch-
a ing conditions and a value of 1.0% is obtained under
optimal conditions. Finally we can say that our system can
1 be successfully used in many dosimetric applications using
the plastic track detectors with high reliability output.
References