Introduction

Modern thermoluminescence recording equipment can vary from the very simple to the extremely sophisticated. The nucleus of all the various designs is a light detection system, a sample heater and a temperature control unit but the designs of each of these components are many and varied. Enhanced sophistication in design is introduced if glow-curves below room temperature are required, if there is a need to record emission spectra at different glow-curve temperatures, or if simultaneous thermally stimulated current measurements are to be recorded. Extensive use of computer-controlled apparatus is becoming more and more popular and many research groups develop their own computer-based operating system. With the large numbers of microcomputers commercially available, an experimenter is faced with a wide choice of options. A typical schematic arrangement is shown in figure 9.1.

In the sections that follow, a general description of some of the necessary components for thermoluminescence detection will be given (although the exact details of the apparatus design will depend on the experimenter's individual requirements). In Appendix B, a list is given of the addresses of suppliers of commercial thermoluminescence equipment. Reference to published papers will be limited to those wherein the technique or apparatus described is particularly useful or novel, although the reader may wish to refer to two articles which deal with instrumentation for thermoluminescence in some depth – these are by Manche (1979) and by Julius (1981).