A Characterization and Optimization Study of Gamble II as an X-Ray Bremsstrahlung Source

The adverse effects of radiation on solid state devices are strongly spectrum dependent. It is thus essential that the radiation spectrum from flash x-ray sources be available when they are used as facilities for testing electronic components. This paper describes a preliminary study in which previously developed computer codes were used to calculate the radiation spectrum produced by NRL´s Gamble II pulsed power generator. To determine how well the calculated spectrum matched the experimental one, doses in CaF2-Mn TLD´s were computed for the dosimeters placed behind various thicknesses of Cu and Pb filters and compared with the experimentally measured doses. Using a diode model that was consistent with presently understood electron beam behavior, a spectrum was generated which predicted TLD doses to within about 15% of the experimentally measured values.