Further improvement in the etching of soda glass detectors

Nascent hydrogen has been used for removing the "etch product layer" formed during etching of soda glasses in HF. The solution so developed has two advantages, viz., no heat is produced during etching, and the strength of the solution is maintained until the tracks are completely developed. Various track development properties of soda glass detectors have been studied using this solution, and the optimal etching conditions are deduced. A detailed study shows an increase in the largest observable diameter from 47.0 to 107.5 μm. The etching efficiency is found to increase from 39.8 to 48.3%, and the registration threshold angle reduces from 42.5 to 38°. The activation energies for bulk and track etching rates have been calculated. The spectrometric response of soda glass detectors to fission fragments of 252Cf has also been investigated using the new etching solution. A distinct improvement in the energy resolution of soda glass detectors is observed with the use of the new etchant.