Characterization of the Exradin W1 scintillator for use in radiotherapy
- Servei de Radiofísica i Radioprotecció, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, Barcelona 08025 (Spain)
Purpose: To evaluate the main characteristics of the Exradin W1 scintillator as a dosimeter and to estimate measurement uncertainties when used in radiotherapy. Methods: We studied the calibration procedure, energy and modality dependence, short-term repeatability, dose-response linearity, angular dependence, temperature dependence, time to reach thermal equilibrium, dose-rate dependence, water-equivalent depth of the effective measurement point, and long-term stability. An uncertainty budget was derived for relative and absolute dose measurements in photon and electron beams. Results: Exradin W1 showed a temperature dependence of −0.225% °C{sup −1}. The loss of sensitivity with accumulated dose decreased with use. The sensitivity of Exradin W1 was energy independent for high-energy photon and electron beams. All remaining dependencies of Exradin W1 were around or below 0.5%, leading to an uncertainty budget of about 1%. When a dual channel electrometer with automatic trigger was not used, timing effects became significant, increasing uncertainties by one order of magnitude. Conclusions: The Exradin W1 response is energy independent for high energy x-rays and electron beams, and only one calibration coefficient is needed. A temperature correction factor should be applied to keep uncertainties around 2% for absolute dose measurements and around 1% for relative measurements in high-energy photon and electron beams. The Exradin W1 scintillator is an excellent alternative to detectors such as diodes for relative dose measurements.
- OSTI ID:
- 22413384
- Journal Information:
- Medical Physics, Vol. 42, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-2405
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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