Program Information
Development of a Micro-Sized Dosimeter for Real-Time Dose Monitoring and Small Field Dosimetry
O Volotskova*, C Jenkins , B Fahimian , L Xing , Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Presentations
WE-AB-BRB-2 (Wednesday, July 15, 2015) 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM Room: Ballroom B
Purpose: To investigate a miniature optical dosimeter for real-time, high-resolution dosimetry, and explore its potential applications for in vivo measurements and small field dosimetry.
Methods: A micro-sized hemispherical (400 μm radius) scintillating detector was constructed from lanthanide activated phosphors doped with Europium (GOS:Eu) and encapsulated in a 17 gauge plastic catheter. A photon counting PMT and CCD-chip spectrometer were used to detect signals emitted from the detector. A single band-passing spectral approach (630nm) was implemented to discriminate the micro-phosphor optical signal from background signals (Cerenkov radiation) in the optical fiber. To test real-time monitoring capabilities, a 3D-printed phantom was used to detect an 192Ir HDR brachytherapy source at locations ranging from 1 to 4 cm radially and 12 cm along the travel axis of the HDR wire. To test the application of the micro-sized detector for small field dosimetry, the linearity of detector was characterized through irradiation of 6MV photon beam at dose-rates ranging from 100 to 600 MU, and the effect of field size was characterized through detections of beams ranging from 30x30 to 1x1 cm2 size.
Results: With a 1 second integration time for the spectrometer, the recorded measurements indicated that the micro-sized detector allowed accurate detection of source position at distances of up to 6 cm along the axis of travel in water. EB measurements showed that the detected signal was linearly correlated with dose rate (R^2 = 0.99). The crossbeam profile was determined with a step size of ~500 μm.
Conclusion: Miniaturization of optical dosimeters is shown to be possible through the construction of lanthanide activated doped phosphors detectors. The small size of the detector makes it amenable to a variety of applications, including real-time dose delivery verification during HDR brachytherapy and EB beam calibrations in small fields.
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