CR-39 (poly(diethylene glycol bis(allyl carbonate))) under gamma-rays and proton beams

The polymer poly(diethylene glycol bis(allyl carbonate)) (CR-39) subjected to gamma-rays or ion beams (H, He, Li...) undergoes structural, physical and chemical modifications. The optical modifications of CR-39 irradiated by gamma-rays or proton beams, and also the results of an EPR study of CR-39 under gamma-rays are presented here. The latter showed that the increase of the refractive index observed in the irradiated polymer cannot be directly attributed to the presence of the free radicals in the material. The optical waveguides obtained by irradiation with proton beams present minimal losses of 2 dB/cm. They are exposed to thermal treatments in order to check their behaviour at temperatures around the glass transition temperature (T-g) of the unirradiated CR-39 polymer. This study showed that, on the range T-g-10 degrees C, T-g+10 degrees C, the obtained attenuation after the annealing treatment remains equal to its original value. Moreover, it pointed out the thermal stability of the refractive index. The first characterization results about microguides which were achieved using metallic masks and proton beams are also presented.