• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 1998

Circular metal electrodes were vacuum-deposited with chromium on the both sides of Teflon-FEP and PET film characteristic of electret and the physical properties of the two polymers were observed during an irradiation by gamma-ray from $\^$60/Co. With the onset of irradiation of output 25.0 cGy/min the induced current increased rapidly for 2 sec, reached a maximum, and subsequently decreased. A steady-state induced current was reached about in 60 second. The dielectric constant and conductivity of Teflon-FEP were changed from 2.15 to 18.0 and from l${\times}$l0$\^$-17/ to 1.57${\times}$10$\^$-13/ $\Omega$-$\^$-1/cm$\^$-1/, respectively. For PET the dielectric constant was changed from 3 to 18.3 and the conductivity from 10$\^$-17/ to 1.65${\times}$10$\^$-13/ $\Omega$-$\^$-1/cm$\^$-1/. The increase of the radiation-induced steady state current I$\^$c/, permittivity $\varepsilon$ and conductivity $\sigma$ with output(4.0 cGy/min, 8.5 cGy/min, 15.6 cGy/min, 19.3 cGy/min) was observed. A series of independent measurements were also performed to evaluate reproducibility and revealed less than 1% deviation in a day and 3% deviation in a long term. Charge and current showed the dependence on the interval between measurements, the smaller the interval was, the bigger the difference between initial reading and next reading was. At least in 20 minutes of next reading reached an initial value. It may indicate that the polymers were exhibiting an electret state for a while. These results can be explained by the internal polarization associated with the production of electron-hole pairs by secondary electrons, the change of conductivity and the equilibrium due to recombination etc. Heating to the sample made the reading value increase in a short time, it may be interpreted that the internal polarization was released due to heating and it contributed the number of charge carriers to increase when the samples was again irradiated. The linearity and reproducibility of the samples with the applied voltage and absorbed dose and a large amount of charge measured per unit volume compared with the other chambers give the feasibility of a radiation detector and make it possible to reduce the volume of a detector.