Evaluation of the Exradin A30 Parallel Plate Ion Chamber as a Reference Dosimeter in Ultra-High Dose Rate (UHDR) Electron Beams
Reliable reference dosimetry for ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) beams (>40 Gy/s) is challenging because conventional ionization chambers (ICs) exhibit saturation from ion recombination. The Exradin A30 IC uses an ultra-thin 0.3-mm electrode spacing to improve charge-collection efficiency (CCE). This study evaluated the commercial A30 as a reference dosimeter for UHDR electron beams by characterizing leakage current, CCE, polarity correction (Ppol), and beam-quality correction factors (kQ). Measurements were performed with a 9-MeV IntraOp Mobetron from the accelerator head, achieving up to 9 Gy per pulse (DPP) and an instantaneous dose rate of 2.25 MGy/s. Data were acquired in grounded water-equivalent plastic, distilled water, and saline water. DPP was varied by changing SSD at a fixed 4-μs pulse width, while pulse repetition frequency (PRF) ranged from 5 to 90 Hz. CCE was determined using EBT-XD film under matched UHDR and conventional dose and energy conditions. CCE and Ppol were also evaluated as functions of DPP and PRF in distilled and saline water. Values of kQ were calculated using Monte Carlo simulations and measured in TrueBeam electron beams. Leakage current was <2 fA. Both CCE and Ppol decreased with increasing DPP; however, CCE remained 90-99% across all three phantoms, while Ppol decreased from 0.990 to 0.981 in liquid and solid water. Neither CCE nor Ppol depended on PRF over 5-90 Hz. Measured and calculated kQ values agreed within 0.8% at all energies except 9 MeV, where they differed by 2%. The A30 exhibited 5% recombination at DPP up to 5 Gy in distilled and saline water. Its response in solid phantoms was affected by charge buildup, which was mitigated by grounding. With appropriate CCE corrections and grounded solid phantoms, the commercial A30 is suitable for reference dosimetry in UHDR electron beams.