Rare-earth-activated phosphors for TL dosimetry applications

The demand for highly sensitive, tissue-equivalent phosphors for thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry applications has been increasing day by day. Nevertheless, the role of rare-earth-activated phosphors in this particular application cannot be neglected. Several rare-earth-activated TL materials are reported with very high sensitivity and stability. However, there is a lack of scientific articles explaining the role of rare-earth ions in thermo-luminescent materials. Therefore, in this chapter, we have discussed the role and importance of rare-earth-activated phosphors in TL dosimetry applications. In the first section, various applications of the TL technique are described along with the possible TL mechanism via a suitable band diagram model. Different trapping parameter analysis methods with their respective advantages and disadvantages are also included in this section. However, the second section includes the different applications of TL dosimetry. In the third section, a brief introduction about the rare-earth ions and their applications in different areas are included. This section also includes a brief description of the types of defects created after the incorporation of rare-earth elements (REE) inside the phosphor matrix. The fourth and last section includes the list of some important REE-activated phosphors with their suitable applications and drawbacks in TL dosimetry. Overall, this chapter gives a detailed description of the importance of REE-activated phosphors in TL dosimetry applications.