Measurement of bulk etch rate of LR 115 detector with atomic force microscopy

Equations for calculating track parameters have been proposed, which invariably involve the track etch rate Vt and the bulk etch rate Vb. The present study measured Vb for the LR115 solid-state nuclear track detector using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The detectors were partially masked using rubber cement and then etched in 2:5 N NaOH solution at 60◦C for time periods ranging from 5 to 40 min. The rubber cement was then peeled o> and cross-sectional images of the LR115 detectors were obtained by AFM. Vb has been found to have di>erent values below and beyond the etching time of about 13:5 min, with the values of 0.0555 and 0:0875 m min−1, respectively. The increase in Vb with the etching time can be explained by a di>usion-etch model, in which the additional damage of the detector material is due to those etchant ions di>used into the detector over time. Now that Vb has been determined, this can be combined with the track etch rate Vt to calculate track parameters. c © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.