The state-of-the-art in electrochemical etching of charged particle track detectors

Abstract

The state-of-the-art in the electrochemical etching (ECE) amplification of charged particle tracks in polymeric detectors and its applications in particular in radiation dosimetry are presented and discussed in this paper. During the past quarter of century, extensive efforts have been made on research and development in the world as well as at NRPD in AEOI on production of high voltage generators, construction of ECE chamber systems, optimization of ECE conditions, development of detectors, studies on basic physical and chemical phenomena, promotion of large-scale applications, etc. Quality high voltage generators can now be home made or are commercially available. The ECE chamber systems are advanced for special purposes as well as for large-scale applications (e.g. pressure chamber, triplet ECE or TECE chamber, etc. from NRPD). Many parameters have been optimized and new parameters such as internal heating, pressure, detector dimensions, etchant volume, chamber insulation, etc. have been recently discovered. Lexan polycarbonates (PC) and CR-39 have been shown to be the most successful detectors for ECE, while other detectors were also applied. The fundamental phenomena including “dielectric breakdown”, “dielectric loss”, “electro-osmosis”, “dielectrophoresis”, “electrostriction”, etc. although primarily proved to exist and studied, need to be further studied. The novel triplet ECE (TECE) method has provided a new approach for track amplification, firing tree production, fractal tree generation, etc. Also the novel dyed ECE track (DYECET) method enables one to study in more detail the structure of tracks, cracks, fractals, etc. Large-scale radon monitoring indoors and outdoors, large-scale neutron personnel dosimetry, low level radionuclide determination in environmental samples, autoradiography, beam profile determination, etc. are considered some successful applications. In this paper, the above were explored with emphasis on recent discoveries and inventions at NRPD in AEOI.