Thermoluminescence of nickel-doped synthetic diamond crystals

An investigation of the thermoluninescent response of nickel-doped synthetic diamond samples is reported. The glow curve obtained after x-ray irradiation or ultraviolet light illumination exhibits a main peak around 500 K, and three weaker ones around 380, 645, and 715 K. Among these peaks, two are attributed to nickel-related centers at 1.4 +/- 0.1 and 2.4 +/- 0.2 eV, respectively. Spectral analysis of the main thermoluminescence peak indicated a broad band around 2.3 eV, similar to the photoluminescence spectrum. Linearity of the response versus x-ray doses, thermal, and optical fading properties are reported. The results indicated that nickel-doped synthetic diamond overcomes most of the disadvantages of other synthetic diamond crystals for ionizing radiation dosimetry applications. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)06219-8].