Bulk etch rate estimation of LR-115 SSNTD using PHOENIX interface

The bulk etch rate estimation of cellulose nitrate (CN) SSNTD (commercially available in one of its forms as LR-115 type II, pelliculable or strippable film) using PHOENIX ( Physics with Home-made Equipment & Innovative Experiments) interface has been carried out. Bulk etch rate is one of the main parameters that controls track formation in an SSNTD. The thickness of the etched removed layer of the LR-115 detector during chemical etching at different concentrations of NaOH and KOH at constant temperature of 60 ± 0.5 °C is measured by the instrument PHOENIX using Am 241 (α-source) kept in vacuum chamber. The bulk etch rates are found to vary from (1.44 ± 0.07) to (3.90 ± 0.11) μm h −1 for NaOH and (1.74 ± 0.08) to (7.08 ± 0.14) μm h −1 for KOH with varying the etchant concentration from 1N to 3N respectively. The PHOENIX interface provides a suitable method for the estimation of bulk etch rates or low thickness layer measurements.