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Monte Carlo modelling the dosimetric effects of electrode material on diamond detectors

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Abstract

Diamond detectors for radiation dosimetry were modelled using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code to investigate the influence of electrode material and detector orientation on the absorbed dose. The small dimensions of the electrode/diamond/electrode detector structure required very thin voxels and the use of non-standard DOSXYZnrc Monte Carlo model parameters. The interface phenomena was investigated by simulating a 6 MV beam and detectors with different electrode materials, namely Al, Ag, Cu and Au, with thickens of 0.1 µm for the electrodes and 0.1 mm for the diamond, in both perpendicular and parallel detector orientation with regards to the incident beam. The smallest perturbations were observed for the parallel detector orientation and Al electrodes (Z = 13). In summary, EGSnrc Monte Carlo code is well suited for modelling small detector geometries. The Monte Carlo model developed is a useful tool to investigate the dosimetric effects caused by different electrode materials. To minimise perturbations cause by the detector electrodes, it is recommended that the electrodes should be made from a low-atomic number material and placed parallel to the beam direction.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Dr Richard Tremewan, who initiated this project, and Dr Mark Bird, Dr Jenny Lydon, and Prof. Richard Jones for their support and helpful comments.

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Author notes

  1. Hossain M. Deloar

    Present address: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Bendigo, VIC, Australia

  2. Stuart P. Lansley

    Present address: Powerhouse Ventures Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand

  3. Juergen Meyer

    Present address: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Florentina Baluti & Hossain M. Deloar

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Stuart P. Lansley & Juergen Meyer

Authors
  1. Florentina Baluti
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  2. Hossain M. Deloar
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  3. Stuart P. Lansley
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  4. Juergen Meyer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Florentina Baluti.

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Baluti, F., Deloar, H.M., Lansley, S.P. et al. Monte Carlo modelling the dosimetric effects of electrode material on diamond detectors. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 38, 101–108 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-015-0329-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-015-0329-6

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