# US 2018/0321389 A1 · Device for determining a deposited dose and associated method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0321389 A1 - Document ID: US20180321389A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/773,722 - Filed: 2016-11-14 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-12 - Assignees: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique; Universite De Strasbourg - Applicants: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Université de Strasbourg - Inventors: Jean-Marc Jung; Mauricio Nicolas Torres Ruiz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321389A1 ## CPC - G01T 1/023: {Scintillation dose-rate meters} - G01T: MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION (radiation analysis of materials, mass spectrometry G01N23/00; tubes for determining the presence, intensity, density or energy of radiation or particles H01J47/00) ## Abstract A device for determining a dose deposited in a scintillator by an ionizing radiation, comprises: a scintillator configured to be irradiated by the ionizing radiation and capable of emitting scintillation photons during interaction with the ionizing radiation; a measurement device comprising a single photodetector, the photodetector being a low-noise photodetector, the determination device being configured in such a way that the photodetector functions in single photon counting mode, the photodetector supplying, at the output of same, a measurement of the total intensity of light received by the photodetector from the scintillator; and an analyzer configured to determine a dose deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation from the total intensity alone of light measured by the photodetector and a predetermined constant dependent only on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of ionizing radiation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A determination device for determining a dose deposited in a scintillator by an ionizing radiation, comprising: a scintillator (I) so configured as to be irradiated by the ionizing radiation and capable of emitting scintillation photons during the interaction with the ionizing radiation; a measurement device comprising a single photodetector, the photodetector being a low-noise photodetector, the determination device being configured in such a way that the photodetector operates in single photon counting mode, the photodetector supplying, at an outlet of the photodetector, a measurement of the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light received by the photodetector from the scintillator; and an analyzer configured to determine a dose deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation only from the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light measured by the photodetector and a predetermined constant (α1, α2, α3) depending only on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the analyzer is so configured as to determine: the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation by applying the following formula: Dion(E)=α1×Itotal(E), where E is the energy of the incident ionizing radiation, Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector and α1 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only; and/or the exciting dose (Dexc(E)) deposited in the scintillator by applying the following formula: Dexc(E)=α2×Itotal(E), where E is the energy of the incident radiation, Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector and α2 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only; and/or the total dose (Dtotal(E)) deposited in the scintillator by applying the following formula: Dtotal=α3×Itotal(E), where E is the energy of the incident radiation, Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector and α3 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The determination device according to claim 2, wherein, for one type of the ionizing radiation considered, the constant α1 corresponds to the slope of a calibration line established for the type of the ionizing radiation considered and for the determination device, and giving the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) measured for the scintillator using an ionization chamber according to the total intensity (Itotal(E)) measured for the same scintillator, using the determination device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The determination device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined constant α2 is calculated by applying the following formula: α 2 = ( 1 ρ   VQa - α 1 ) , where ρ is the specific gravity of the scintillator, expressed in kg/m3, V is the irradiated volume of the scintillator, expressed in m3, Q is the total fluorescence yield expressed as the total number of fluorescence photons emitted by the scintillator per unit of deposited energy, i.e., in J−1 and α1 is a constant corresponding to the slope of a calibration line established for the type of the ionizing radiation considered and for the determination device, and giving the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) measured for the scintillator using an ionization chamber according to the total intensity (Itotal(E)) measured for the same scintillator, using the determination device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The determination device according to claim 4 wherein the predetermined constant α3 is determined by applying the following formula: α3=(α1+α2), where the predetermined constant α2 is calculated by applying the following formula: α 2 = ( 1 ρ   VQa - α 1 ) , where ρ is the specific gravity of the scintillator, expressed in kg/m3, V is the irradiated volume of the scintillator, expressed in m3, Q is the total fluorescence yield expressed as the total number of fluorescence photons emitted by the scintillator per unit of deposited energy, i.e., in J−1 and α1 is a constant corresponding to the slope of a calibration line established for the type of the ionizing radiation considered and for the determination device, and giving the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) measured for the scintillator using an ionization chamber according to the total intensity (Itotal(E)) measured for the same scintillator, using the determination device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The determination device according to claim 5, wherein the measuring device further comprises an attenuator intended to attenuate the incident radiation on the photodetector so as to ensure the operation of the photodetector in single photon counting mode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The determination device according to claim 6, wherein the attenuator comprises: an upstream attenuator arranged upstream from the scintillator and so configured as to absorb a portion of the incident ionizing radiation on the scintillator; and/or a downstream attenuator arranged downstream from the scintillator between the scintillator and the photodetector and so configured as to absorb a portion of the radiation emitted by the scintillator toward the photodetector. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The determination device according to claim 7, wherein the attenuator comprises an element made of a material capable of absorbing the incident ionizing radiation, with the element being arranged upstream from the scintillator in the path of the incident radiation on the scintillator. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The determination device according to claim 8, wherein the attenuator comprises a diaphragm arranged at a photodetector inlet, with a physical aperture having an area smaller than a physical aperture of the photodetector. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The determination device according to claim 9, wherein the scintillator is an organic scintillator. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The determination device according to claim 10, further comprising a transmission member configured so as to transmit the scintillation photons emitted by the scintillator to the photodetector. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method for determining a dose deposited in a scintillator by an ionizing radiation using the determination device according to claim 11, comprising: measuring, using a single photodetector operating in single photon counting mode and with low noise, the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light received by the photodetector; determining, using an analyzer, a dose deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation from the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light measured by the photodetector only and a predetermined constant (α1, α2, α3) depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The determination method according to claim 12, wherein the step of determination comprises: the determination of the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation by applying the following formula: Dion(E)=α1×Itotal(E) where α1 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only; Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector; and/or determining the exciting dose (Dexc(E)) deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation by applying the following formula: Dexc(E)=α2×Itotal(E), where Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector and α2 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only; and/or determining the total dose (Dtotal(E)) deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation by applying the following formula: Dtotal(E)=α3×Itotal(E), where Itotal(E) is the total intensity of light measured by the photodetector; and α3 is a predetermined constant depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The determination device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined constant α2 is calculated by applying the following formula: α 2 = ( 1 ρ   VQa - α 1 ) , where ρ is the specific gravity of the scintillator, expressed in kg/m3, V is the irradiated volume of the scintillator, expressed in m3, Q is the total fluorescence yield expressed as the total number of fluorescence photons emitted by the scintillator per unit of deposited energy, i.e., in J−1 and α1 is a constant corresponding to the slope of a calibration line established for the type of the ionizing radiation considered and for the determination device, and giving the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) measured for the scintillator using an ionization chamber according to the total intensity (Itotal(E)) measured for the same scintillator, using the determination device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) The determination device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined constant α3 is determined by applying the following formula: α3=(α1+α2), where the predetermined constant α2 is calculated by applying the following formula: α 2 = ( 1 ρ   VQa - α 1 ) , where ρ is the specific gravity of the scintillator, expressed in kg/m3, V is the irradiated volume of the scintillator, expressed in m3, Q is the total fluorescence yield expressed as the total number of fluorescence photons emitted by the scintillator per unit of deposited energy, i.e., in J−1 and α1 is a constant corresponding to the slope of a calibration line established for the type of the ionizing radiation considered and for the determination device, and giving the ionizing dose (Dion(E)) measured for the scintillator using an ionization chamber according to the total intensity (Itotal(E)) measured for the same scintillator, using the determination device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device further comprises an attenuator intended to attenuate the incident radiation on the photodetector so as to ensure the operation of the photodetector in single photon counting mode. ### Claim 17 (depends on 6) The determination device according claim 6, wherein the attenuator comprises an element made of a material capable of absorbing the incident ionizing radiation, with the element being arranged upstream from the scintillator in the path of the incident radiation on the scintillator. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The determination device according to claim 1, wherein the scintillator is an organic scintillator comprising p-terphenyl or anthracene. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The determination device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission member so configured as to transmit the scintillation photons emitted by the scintillator to the photodetector. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A method for determining a dose deposited in a scintillator by an ionizing radiation using the determination device according to claim 1, comprising: measuring, using a single photodetector operating in single photon counting mode and with low noise, the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light received by the photodetector; determining, using an analyzer, a dose deposited in the scintillator by the ionizing radiation from the total intensity (Itotal(E)) of light measured by the photodetector only and a predetermined constant (α1, α2α3) depending on the scintillator, the light output of the determination device and the type of the ionizing radiation only.