Peak Shape Method in Thermoluminescence : An Overview

Thermoluminescence (TL) appears when a solid sample (usually an insulator or semiconductor )is heated after being irradiated at a low temperature 0 T . Part of the energy absorbed by the sample in course of irradiation may be released during heating . Thermoluminescence has found important application in dating and dosimetry. The rigorous theory of thermoluminescence is very complicated. The most popular model of thermoluminescence (TL) is the three parameter model suggested by Halperin and Braner1 and later developed by Chen et al2. In three-parameter model , TL is described by the parameters namely activation energy ( E ) , order of kinetics (b ) and frequency factor ( s ) . There are a number of methods for the determination of activation energy (E) , such as peak shape , initial rise , various heating rates method etc. Out of these methods peak shape method probably is the simplest because in peak shape method activation energy (E) can be determined by knowing only two or three characteristic temperatures of the peak . In this paper we present a review of the peak shape method for the determination of activation energy of a TL peak. Material Science Research India Vol. 9(1), 39-49 (2012)