Electrochemical etching of fast-neutron-induced recoil tracks: the effects of field strength and frequency

According to the present understanding of the electrochemical etching (ECE) of heavily-charged particle tracks in polymers, the cause of track enhancement is a 'treeing phenomenon' combined with a chemical etching process. A number of parameters control this process. In this paper the effects are investigated of the main parameters, such as electric field strength and frequency as applied to the fast-neutron-induced recoil-particle tracks in polycarbonate foils of different thicknesses using different power supplies. The track-enhancement vs frequency-response curves showed a 'resonance-type' effect peaking at about 2 kHz for different foils and power supplies used. The optimum field-strength and frequency were selected as 32 kV cm-1 and 2 kHz, respectively, for fundamental studies and dosimetry applications using polycarbonates. However, other conditions can be chosen for any specific applications as desired. (author)