Solid State Track Detectors: Applications to Fission Related Studies

Abstract

The passage of charged particles produces linear trails of damaged material in dielectric solids. These trails are frequently visible by transmission electron microscopy or can be chemically etched and observed with an optical microscope. This paper compares track registration and track retention behaviour of crystalline and non-crystalline track detectors such as stilbite, prehnite, cellulose nitrate CR-39 and LR115. The dependence on both the annealing temperature and time of the preferential track etch ratio Vt/Vg and also the track length and track density are discussed. The etching response is studied for fission fragments, alpha particles, protons and neutrons. Several useful applications of solid state track detectors in various fields are discussed.