# The Electron Trap Analysis in Thermoluminescent LiF Crystal

• Published : 1972.09.01

#### Abstract

In the optic,11 grade LiF crystal, the electron traps corresponding to the thermoluminescence(abbreviated to TL) glow peak develop as irradiation dose is increased. Originally the electron trap of the crystal has two levels but as the dose reaches to the order of 10$^4$rontgen, it attains five levels as observed in the TL glow curves. The five trap depths are determined from the glow peak temperatures for two different heating rates, $\theta$=6.6$^{\circ}C$/sec and 3.4$^{\circ}C$/sec. The electron trap depths have the following values E$_1$=0.79 eV, E$_2$=0.93 eV, E$_3$=1.02 eV, E$_4$=1.35 eV, E$_{5}$=1.69eV. The special feature of thermoluminescence of optical grade LiF is that the traps, except E$_1$and E$_2$corresponding to 12$0^{\circ}C$ glow peak and 15$0^{\circ}C$ glow peak for $\theta$=6.6$^{\circ}C$/sec, have severe thermal instability, namely E$_3$, E$_4$and E$_{5}$ levels disappear during bleaching process. These defects in the optical grade LiF crystal seem annealed out during the course of TL measurement. The fresh or long time unused LiF(Mg) crystal shows only two glow peaks at 17$0^{\circ}C$ and 23$0^{\circ}C$ for $\theta$=6.6$^{\circ}C$/sec, but upon sensitization with r-ray irradiation, it converts to the six glow peak state. The four electron traps, E$_1$, E$_2$, E$_3$, and E$_{6}$ created by r-ray irradiation and corresponding to the glow peaks at T=10$0^{\circ}C$ 13$0^{\circ}C$, 15$0^{\circ}C$ and 29$0^{\circ}C$ are stable and not easily annealed out thermally, The sensitization essentially required to LiF(Mg) dosimeter is to give the crystal the stable six levels in the electron trap. In optical grade LiF, the plot between logarithm of total TL output versus logarithm of r-ray dose gives more supra-linear feature than that of LiF(Mg). However, if one takes the height of 12$0^{\circ}C$ glow peak(S=6.6$^{\circ}C$/sec), instead of the total TL output, the curve becomes close to that of LiF(Mg).