In-plant calibration and use of power transistors for process control of gamma and electron beam facilities

A bipolar transistor, previously investigated as a possible radiation dosimeter, has been tested under industrial irradiation conditions in high-activity gamma and high energy, high-power electron beam facilities. In-plant calibrations have been performed against transfer standard alanine and reference standard ethanol-monochlorobenzene (ECB) dosimeters over an absorbed dose range of 5-45 kGy. Routine irradiations have been done by placing the transistors, side-by-side with the routine dosimeters used in the plants, on product boxes during production runs. The results of the studies have shown that the agreement between the absorbed dose measured by the transistors and other well established routine dosimeters is within +/-3% (1sigma). This indicates that this type of transistors could be used as routine radiation dosimeters in the dose range investigated. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.