Online monitoring of absorbed dose in undulator magnets with RADFET dosimeters at FERMI@Elettra

The FERMI@Elettra free-electron laser, based on a 1.3 GeV electron linac, requires the monitoring of radiation doses up to a few kGy for the protection of sensitive equipment such as permanent magnet undulators. A new dosimetry system DOSFET-L01, employing an array of RADFETs spread throughout the accelerator, was developed. So far, the system has performed flawlessly for almost two years, taking one dose reading per minute around the clock. The REM RFT-300 sensors were set in zero-bias mode, i.e. with all electrodes grounded during exposure. This choice of mode allows the measurement of a high range of integrated doses – up to a few kGy. The paper describes the new read-out system and its application, calibration measurements in cobalt-60 and 6 MeV bremsstrahlung radiation sources giving rise to a novel response function, and new data on “fade” under the zero-bias mode of use for over 300 days at room temperature. Regular readings from 28 RADFETs placed within seven undulators over the first 20 months of operation of the accelerator demonstrate how the system tracks and locates periods of high and low dose rate and thereby contributes to the protection from beam loss. The readings from the RADFET system are found to be in good agreement with Gafchromic EBT2 film dosimeters. Based on the results reported, the choice of bias mode may be revised so as to reduce fade and improve the accuracy conferred by a positive-bias mode.