The application of LiF:Mg,Cu,P to large scale personnel dosimetry: current status and future directions

LiF:Mg,Cu,P is starting to replace LiF:Mg,Ti in a variety of personnel dosimetry applications. LiF:Mg,Cu,P has superior characteristics as compared to LiF:Mg,Ti including, higher sensitivity, improved energy response for photons, lack of supralinearity and insignificant fading. The use of LiF:Mg,Cu,P in large scale dosimetry programs is of particular interest due to the extreme sensitivity of this material to the maximum readout temperature, and the variety of different dosimetry aspects and details that must be considered for a successful implementation in routine dosimetry. Here we discuss and explain the various aspects of large scale LiF:Mg,Cu,P based dosimetry programs including the properties of the TL material, new generation of TLD readers, calibration methodologies, a new generation of dose calculation algorithms based on the use of artificial neural networks and the overall uncertainty of the dose measurement. The United States Navy (USN) will be the first US dosimetry processor who will use this new material for routine applications. Until June 2002, the Navy used two types of thermoluminescent materials for personnel dosimetry, CaF2:Mn and LiF:Mg,Ti. A program to upgrade the system and to implement LiF:Mg,Cu,P, started in the mid 1990s and was recently concluded. In 2002, the new system replaced the LiF:Mg,Ti and is scheduled to start replacing the CaF2:Mn system in 2006. A pilot study to determine the dosimetric performance of the new LiF:Mg,Cu,P based dosimetry system was recently completed, and the results show the new system to be as good or better than the current system in all areas tested. As a result, LiF:Mg,Cu,P is scheduled to become the primary personnel dosimeter for the entire US Navy in 2006.