Gamma Irradiators

 The NRL can provide gamma-only irradiations using multiple different irradiators:

  1. The highest dose rate is achievable using a Co-60 underwater irradiator that provides gamma rays of 1173 keV and 1332 keV for in-situ irradiation of devices. Samples and experiments are irradiated in a 6"-diameter dry tube. Due to the design of the loading elevator, the usable diameter for an experimental setup in the 6"-diameter tube is ~ 4". The usable height is limited by the falloff in the flux profile and the dose rate, both of which can be found in the linked Co-60 irradiator page.

  2. A benchtop irradiator is also available for low dose-rate testing.The space for sample irradiations is ~ 7.75" in length by 3.75" in diameter. The current dose rate in the sample irradiation can be seen on the linked benchtop irradiator page.

  3. A spot irradiator makes use of a source collimator to enable in-situ radiation-damage testing of an electronic device while minimizing the dose received by other devices nearby on the test board.

Disclaimer

The NRL website and user guide serve as an introduction for prospective experimenters interested in performing irradiation research in the OSURR. These pages contain brief descriptions of the facility and its experiment capabilities, the ancillary capabilities of the NRL to support development of irradiation and post-irradiation examination (PIE) experiments, the process for users to follow to conduct an experiment, and the conditions that apply to experimenters. These resource pages do not provide all the necessary information required to perform an experiment in the OSURR, but they serve as a guide for concept development and initial experiment planning. The experienced team of NRL researchers works with users to design experiments that meet the users’ research needs while ensuring that the experiments comply with all safety requirements.

picture of glowing reactor