Long term drift and gamma-irradiation effect

The frequency and motional resistance characteristics versus temperature of SC (Stress Compensation) cut resonators were measured before, during, and after irradiation, in order to correlate the influence of the selected chemical impurities on their electrical behavior. The long term drifts were discussed and compared to the Al(3+) ion content. These measurements were performed on BVA (electrodeless quartz resonator) SC cut, which were manufactured using either synthetic (swept or unswept) or natural quartz crystals. The results obtained show that a link could be established between the gamma irradiation sensitivity and the aluminum content and hence, the large difference, on one hand, between natural and synthetic raw material and, on the other hand, between unswept and swept quartz crystals.