Alpha particle spectrometry with Lexan polycarbonate using combined layer removal by ethylenediamine solution and electrochemical etching

By applying a pre-etching (PE) process to remove a given surface layer followed by electrochemical etching with potassium hydroxide/ethanol/water (PEW) at 25°C it is possible to differentiate between different energies (1 MeV, 2 MeV, 3 MeV, 4 MeV, and 5 MeV) of alpha particles. The method of layer removal is based on the chemical reaction between polycarbonate and ethylenediamine. The relationship between the thickness of the removed layer and the concentration of ethylenediamine solution for different times of soaking was determined. For each concentration of ethylenediamine in water, the bulk etching rate, VB, was measured by the gravimetric method.