Radiation damage studies of a recycling integrator VLSI chip for dosimetry and control of therapeutical beams

A VLSI chip based on a recycling integrator has been designed and built to be used as front-end readout of detectors for dosimetry and beam monitoring. The chip is suitable for measurements with both conventional radiotherapy accelerators (photon or electron beams) and with hadron accelerators (proton or light ion beams). As the chips might be located at few centimeters from the irradiation area and they are meant to be used in routine hospital practice, it is mandatory to assert their damage to both electromagnetic and neutron irradiation. We have tested a few chips on a X-ray beam and on thermal and fast neutron beams. Results of the tests are reported and an estimate of the expected lifetime of the chip for routine use is given. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.