Development of (222)Rn Emanation Sources with Integrated Quasi 2π Active Monitoring

In this work, a novel approach for the standardization of low-level (222)Rn emanation is presented. The technique is based on the integration of a (222)Rn source, directly, with an α-particle detector, which allows the residual (222)Rn to be continuously monitored. Preparation of the device entails thermal physical vapor deposition of (226)RaCl(2) directly onto the surface of a commercially available ion implanted Si-diode detector, resulting in a thin-layer geometry. This enables continuous collection of well resolved α-particle spectra of the nuclei, decaying within the deposited layer, with a detection efficiency of approximately 0.5 in a quasi 2π geometry. The continuously sampled α-particle spectra are used to derive the emanation by statistical inversion. It is possible to achieve this with high temporal resolution due to the small background and the high counting efficiency of the presented technique. The emanation derived in this way exhibits a dependence on the relative humidity of up to 15% in the range from 20% rH to 90% rH. Traceability to the SI is provided by employing defined solid-angle α-particle spectrometry to characterize the counting efficiency of the modified detectors. The presented technique is demonstrated to apply to a range covering the release of at least 1 to 210 (222)Rn atoms per second, and it results in SI-traceable emanation values with a combined standard uncertainty not exceeding 2%. This provides a pathway for the realization of reference atmospheres covering typical environmental (222)Rn levels and thus drastically improves the realization and the dissemination of the derived unit of the activity concentration concerning (222)Rn in air.