Diamond-based off-line dosimeters for environmental control in space flights

Biological experiments in space and ongoing human space missions devoted to the solar system exploration require significant advancements in the radiation environment monitoring systems. Radiation hazard has to be continuously monitored and the evaluation of the biological damage suffered should be calculated within short time. In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility of using polycrystalline diamond films as dosimeters for space applications. The charge trapped into deep intra-gap defect levels during radiation exposure, and released during a high-temperature thermal scan to give thermally stimulated current (TSC), has been integrated as a function of time to evaluate the absorbed dose. The capability of diamond films to detect low doses has been demonstrated down to the mGys range. First application of these dosimeters in a real twelve-day, low Earth orbit, space mission has been carried out. TSC results have been proved to give correct evaluation of the dose absorbed during the space mission, assessing the capabilities of synthetic diamond and TSC read-out system as a proper dosimetry technique for space applications.