Radon alpha-ray detector based on a high-resistivity-silicon BJT and a low-cost readout electronics

Radon dosimetry yields valuable information about radioactive health risks in closed environments. Indeed, World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have recently classified radon as a human carcinogen and have demonstrated a correlation between environmental radon concentration and lung cancer risk. Dose measurements are traditionally based on laboratory analysis of alpha-ray traces in ionization chambers exposed to environmental air. In this paper we propose a portable instrument for real-time radon alpha-ray detection based on a previously-developed high-resistivity-silicon BJT sensor and a low-cost, IC-based readout electronics.