Radiation Physics

and
Chemistry
PERGAMON Radiation Physics and Chemistry 54 (1999) 547550

Alpha particle absorption and inclined incidence track

parameters evaluation in plastic detectors
M.M. El-Hawary a, M. Mansy b, *, A. Hussein c, A.A. Ammar a,
A.R. El-Sersy b
a
Faculty of Science, Menoua University, Shebin El-koam, Egypt
b
National Institute for Standards, NIS Cairo, Egypt
c
Faculty of Science, Physics Department, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Received 1 November 1997; received in revised form 13 August 1998; accepted 7 September 1998

Abstract

In this work the use of our recently constructed irradiation chamber was involved in the current experiments. The
absorption of alpha particle in air has been studied through a set of experiments in which the stopping power has
been measured. A comparison between the calculated values and the present experimental results is given and a
good agreement has been found. Critical angle (yc) determination has been carried out using two dierent
techniques, via indirect and direct measurements, under dierent etching conditions and at various alpha energies.
An empirical t of ych (h is the removal thickness layer) dependence has been calculated and found to work well in
the studied h ranges. Also, the inclined alpha tracks parameters of energies between 1.0 and 5.0 MeV have been
studied. Results can be successfully applicable in alpha autoradiography studies and detector eciency
determination for track registration in plastic recorders. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The critical angle of etching (yc) represents the mini-

Solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) have
been successfully employed in dierent applications
in science and technology. They have been used in
alpha auto-radiography, radiation dosimetery and
particle identication (Hussein et al., 1989; El-
Hawary et al., 1995; Ellis, 1986; Singh et al.,
1988a,b; Suzuki and Tomura, 1990). They have
many advantages as compared with other detectors.
They are relatively cheap and provide permanent
records of events (tracks), as well as proven to oper-
ate successfully under various environmental con-
ditions and have almost no fading under normal
storage of temperature and pressure (Todd, 1992;
Abou El-Khier et al., 1993a; Hussein, 1994; Andom,
1992; Abou El-Kheir, 1993b).
* Corresponding author.
mum angle to the detector surface that a track can
make in order to be revealed by etching
sin yc 1=V VB =VT 1
where V is the etch rate ratio, VB is the bulk etch rate
and VT is the track etch rate (Durrani and Bull, 1987).
The etching eciency (Z) of a detector is dened as the
proportion of tracks etched out expressed as a fraction
of particles actually incident on the detector surface.
From the measurements of yc, the etching eciency (Z)
can be determined using the formula
Z 1 sin yc 2
The purpose of the present work was two-fold: (i) to
study the alpha particle absorption through a set of ex-
periments in which the stopping power is measured as
a function of pressure values inside our constructed ir-
radiation chamber; (ii) to obtain the critical angle (yc)

0969-806X/99/$ - see front matter # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 6 9 - 8 0 6 X ( 9 8 ) 0 0 2 9 2 - 8
548 M.M. El-Hawary et al. / Radiation Physics and Chemistry 54 (1999) 547550

via the VB and VT measurements (indirect method)

and also from a direct way using the irradiation
chamber under dierent conditions and at dierent a
energies. The etching eciency (Z) was then determined
by the mean of yc extracted values which reects the
best conditions of the usability of the studied track
detectors.

2. Experimental

Plastic sheets of CR-39 (TASTRACK), each 500 mm

thick, were used. All samples were irradiated in our
recently constructed irradiation chamber (El-Hawary
et al., 1995) and etched in 6.25 N NaOH at 708C. The
bulk etch rate (VB) was measured using the mass
decrement method (Hussein, 1994). Track parameters
were measured using an optical Olympus microscope
attached to an eye piece micrometer with each divi-
sion = 0.22 mm. Fig. 1. The relation between alpha energy (E) and the press-
ure (P) inside the irradiation chamber at dierent distances
(x).
3. Results and discussion

3.1. Rate of energy loss determination incident at an angle 608 to the surface of the detector.
Both minor and major axes were measured. Figs 3 and
The air molecules were used as a stopping medium for 4 show the variation of minor and major axes (d and
the incident projectiles alphas using our irradiation D) respectively with alpha energies (E) at dierent
chamber (El-Hawary et al., 1995). Inside the chamber, etching durations. The dependence of d and D on
alpha energy could be varied via either the adjustment of energy is more obvious for t>5 h. Using values of d,
the source-to-detector distance (x) at xed pressure (P) D, incident angle yc and etching time t one can calcu-
or by varying the air pressure at xed distance (see Fig. 1). late both of the bulk etch rate VB and the track etch
The dominant interaction mechanisms between rate VT.
alpha particles and the molecules of the medium
through which they pass are mainly excitation and ion-
isation processes caused along their paths.
Accordingly, energy loss rate of alpha depends mainly
on the density of the stopping medium or the pressure
inside the chamber as long as the incident energy is
xed. The dependency of the energy loss rate (dE/dx)
on the pressure has been evaluated from the data of
Fig. 1. The corresponding theoretical values of (dE/dx)
are calculated using the TRIM computer program
(Zigler, 1985) where the densitypressure relationship
of air was used. Fig. 2 shows the variation of the
measured (dots) and calculated (solid curve) values of
(dE/dx) with P, where a good agreement is obtained.
This procedure can also be used in alpha range evalu-
ation in the stopping medium as a function of pressure
inside the chamber which is aimed to be done in
another article using dierent gases.

3.2. Critical angle determination

In the following experiments, sheets of CR-39 detec- Fig. 2. The variation of the measured (point) and calculated
tors were exposed to alpha particle of dierent energies (solid curve) values of (dE/dx) with the pressure (P).
 M.M. El-Hawary et al. / Radiation Physics and Chemistry 54 (1999) 547550 549

In this part the critical angle of etching (yc) was

obtained by two techniques, i.e. indirect and direct
methods. In the rst method plastic detectors were
exposed to normally incident alpha energies (from 1 to
5.5 MeV) and then etched to removal thickness layer
of 5 mm. From the track diameter measurements and
Eq. (1), yc was determined and represented in Fig. 5
(curve a) as a function of energy. In the second
method, sheets of CR-39 detectors were irradiated with
a certain value of alpha energy at angles y varying
from yc+5 to yc5 in steps of 28. The choice of yc was
determined from the normal incidence case (indirect
method) at the same alpha energy. Successive etching
processes were performed until the track could be seen
under the microscope. In this way yc was determined
as a function of removal thickness layer (h). By consid-
ering dierent alpha energies and going through the
previous procedures, one can get a complete set of yc
dependence on both E and h. A comparison between
yc values obtained from both methods is shown in Fig. 4. The dependence of major axis (D) with alpha energy
Fig. 5 where curve (b) represents the data obtained (E) at dierent etching times(t).
from direct method at removal thickness layer of
h = 5 mm. Examples of the variation of the critical
from Fig. 6, is very useful and greatly needed in any
angle with alpha energy at dierent removal thickness
future investigation concerning alpha radiography stu-
layer are shown in Fig. 6 using the direct method. An
dies and detector eciency determination for track
empirical ych t with uncertainty of about 3% was
registration in plastic recorders.
found to work well in the h-range from 410 mm which
can be written in the form
3.3. Etching eciency (Z) of SSNTDs
E sin yc A expE=B C
h 3
The etching eciency of SSNTDs has been deter-
where A, B and C are tting parameters of values mined via the critical angle measurements obtained
0.256, 2.1 and 0.055 respectively. In a range outside 4 from both cases (direct and indirect methods). Fig. 7
10 mm the t was not easy. A ycE chart obtained shows a comparison between the eciency values of

Fig. 3. The dependence of minor axis (d) on alpha energy (E) Fig. 5. The variation of the critical angle (yc) as a function of
at dierent etching times (t). the incident alpha energy (E).
550 M.M. El-Hawary et al. / Radiation Physics and Chemistry 54 (1999) 547550
Fig. 6. The variation of the critical angle (yc) with alpha
energy (E) at dierent removal thickness layers (h) (direct
method).
the detector based on both methods as a function of
energy and at the same removal thickness layer (5 mm).
This comparison indicated that there is a good agree-
ment between both results, where yc shows a maximum
at about 2.0 MeV.
4. Conclusion
The energy loss rate values were obtained and
showed a good agreement with the theoretical data.
The minor and major axes in case of inclined incidence
were determined for dierent alpha energies. An
empirical t of ych dependence has been calculated
and found to work well in the studied h ranges The
detector etching eciency showed a strong dependence
on both removal thickness layer and alpha energy
where a value of 85% has been resulted under the opti-
mal conditions of h>13 mm.
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