Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimetry: An Introduction

A subset of solid state materials have long been used as integrating dosimeters because they store energy deposited as a result of their interactions with ionizing radiation and then, when stimulated appropriately, release a proportionate amount of visible or near-visible light. During the 1960s, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), for which heat is used to extract the stored dosimetric signal, began to replace the photographic film as occupational dosimeters of record and for medical dosimetry. At the end of the twentieth century, a viable optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) material was developed which is now gaining in popularity as both an occupational and medical dosimeter. This paper reviews the related stored luminescence processes, presenting a simple conceptual model for optical absorption transitions in OSL materials along with a basic mathematical model for delayed luminescence. The approaches for extracting signal from the OSLs are enumerated.