A new etching technique for damage track detectors

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Abstract
The etching reagents rapidly diffuse in the fine channels produced in insulators by the passage of the charged particles. Conductive channels are thus produced, which penetrate the insulating foils. By applying H.V. square or sirusoidal waveforms through the irradiated insulator, the currents and treeing phenomena produced in the conductive paths increase the preferential chemical etching of the tracks. This type of etching enables us to enlarge the damage tracks at will and in some cases to increase the sensitivity of damage track registration. Furthermore the damage trails produced by heavy ions provide a successful tool to study treeing mechanisms on electrical insulators.