Improvements of the electrochemical etching technique for fast neutron dosimetry

Amplification of neutron-induced recoil tracks in polycarbonates by the electro-chemical etching techniques has not yet applied in large-scale practical use owing to the large number of parameters affecting the detector response. In order to provide a more reliable ECE for practical neutron dosimetry, investigations to optimize some of the most important parameters were performed. The characteristics of ECE have been studied as a function of frequency from 50 to 1000 Hz, applied voltage up to 2 kV effective and neutron energy and directional dependence. A method to lower the background level is presented which improves also the reproducibility of the measurement