High-dose radiation sensor with wireless optical detection

We present a miniature silicon-glass MEMS sensor for measurement of high doses of ionizing radiation (above 10 kGy) using a novel wireless optical detection method. The radiation sensor is a miniaturized version of the so-called hydrogen dosimeter. An amount of high-density polyethylene, located inside the MEMS sensor, degrades under ionizing radiation, releasing gaseous hydrogen. The increasing pressure deflects the thin silicon membrane. The sensor's destructive and proportional modes of work are also proposed. In the destructive mode, sensors provide in situ information on excessive and discrete levels of radiation. The optical detection method is based on an optical head consisting of a moving membrane and a silicon screen with a matrix of micro-holes. Laser light is reflected from the membrane and scattered when the membrane is deflected, in the process illuminating the holes on the silicon screen. The number of illuminated holes is a function of the degree of membrane deflection; the transformation of the holes to the deflection allows for the calculation of pressure and eventually the dose of ionizing radiation.