Dosimetry of 106Ru eye applicators with a p-type silicon detector

Beta emitting 106Ru-applicators are used to treat choroidal melanoma. In order to improve the accuracy and simplify the dosimetry of these applicators, the suitability of using a p-type silicon semiconductor detector has been investigated. The detector is calibrated in a low energy electron beam. An important property of the detector for this application is that the linear scattering power of the epoxy resin that surrounds the silicon crystal is within 1% of that for water, in the energy interval of interest. Furthermore the variation in the mass collision stopping power ratio water to silicon is within 4% in this energy interval. The accuracy of the dose-rate measured with the detector is about 5% for this application.