An Improved Silicon Microcalorimeter Dosimetry System for Transient Radiation Effects Testing

A silicon calorimeter dosimetry system is described which is capable of the accurate measurement of radiation doses as low as 10 rads(Si) from a single radiation pulse. This system offers a significant advantage over TLD systems in that it measures deposited dose in a material of interest by directly measuring the temperatture rise induced by the radiation rather than indirectly via measuring energy deposition in an exposed TLD material. The system utilizes a thin film thermistor to detect the radiation induced temperature rise in a small block of silicon. Because the system uses a commercially available instrumentation amplifier and silicon backed thermis-or, it can be readily constructed with available materials.