We have designed, fabricated, and characterized a fiberoptic probe composed of terbium-based phosphors for ionizing radiation dosimetry. Fiber optic probes consisting of ~1 mm layer of TbF3 covering the tip embedded in tissue-mimicking phantoms were irradiated with electron beams produced by a medical linear accelerator. Optical spectra of irradiated tips were taken using a fiber spectrometer. The luminescence signal from the phosphors was spectrally separated from the Čerenkov radiation generated in the fiber. In order to obtain the percent depth dose curve, the resultant decomposed spectra corresponding to the emission from the phosphors were considered as a measure of the absorbed dose. The measured depth dose curves using our fiber probes are in agreement with measurements performed by an electron diode, indicating the feasibility of using such fiber probes for ionizing radiation dosimetry.

Date Published: 11 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9317, Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XV, 93170R (11 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2078021

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9317:
Optical Fibers and Sensors for Medical Diagnostics and Treatment Applications XV
Israel Gannot, Editor(s)