Some Intrinsic Inaccuracies of Thermoluminescent Dosimetry

A majority of the users of thermoluminescent dosemeters employ commercially available TLD readers and phosphors. During 7 yr of experience with thermoluminescent dosimetry the author has observed a few important, but generally overlooked problems which are inherent to the system. The non-uniform heating cycle, the position of the reference light source and the dependence of thermoluminescence on the crystal size of LiF can introduce an error oμ up to a maximum of 30% in the dose measurements with TLD-100. Most of this inaccuracy can be eliminated by using careful techniques and simple modifications in the design of the reader.