The effects of some pre-irradiation and etching conditions on the etching of glasses

The effects of pre-irradiation and etching conditions on the etching of glasses have been studied by measuring (a) the bulk etch rate, Vsub(b) and (b) the mean etch-pit diameter, d, in two different glasses under various sets of conditions. Two different techniques have been used to check the isotropic character of Vsub(b) in these glasses. A difference of approximately 10% in the mean etch-pit diameter is found when different etching intervals are used. The results show that (a) the pre-irradiation annealing in water improves the registration efficiency of glass detectors considerably and (b) specification of etching intervals with etching conditions is as important as any other etching parameter. (author)