Producing 65Zn and 60Co gamma sources for energy and efficiency calibration of gamma spectrometry systems

Precise calibration of energy and efficiency of gamma spectrometry systems for different geometries is very important. In most cases, preparation of these sources for educational and research centers  is very difficult due to high costs and lack of access to the reactor. The purpose of this paper is to explain the procedure for production of calibration sources 65Zn and 60Co using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) method. These sources are used for calibration of gamma spectrometry systems. To do so, 65Zn (3.83 and 9.38 µCi) and 60Co (3.65 and 3.85 µCi) were produced. The quality control of the sources indicates the acceptable quality of the produced sources.