ENERGY-LOSS DEPENDENT TRANSVERSAL ETCHING RATES OF HEAVY-ION TRACKS IN PLASTIC

By the method of electrolytical etching track etching rates Vt and corresponding transversal track etching rates V-trans of single heavy ion tracks in thin Makrofol KG foils have been measured at ion energies from 10-480 MeV/u. Makrofol KG foils of 8 mu m thickness were irradiated perpendicular to the surface with Au-79 and Xe-54 ions at specific energies with energy loss values of REL=(10-90) *10(3) MeVcm(2)/g at GSI Darmstadt, Germany, and Lawrence Berkeley Lab., Gal., USA. Using the electrolytical etching method by measuring the resistance of the foil during the etching process (etching conditions: 6n NaOH room temperature and controlled 50 degrees C) the breakthrough time and track etching rates V-t, V-trans and V-m (bulk etching rate) were analysed. Response curves ( V-t/V-m)-1 as a function of Restricted Energy Loss (REL), the maximum extension of the ion induced damage perpendicular to the ion path and the dimension of the ion track core depending on the deposited energy can be estimated.