THE PORE OPENING PROCESS OF ETCHING POLYMER-FILMS IRRADIATED BY SINGLE AND MULTIPLE HEAVY-IONS - THE ETCHING PROCESS IN THE RANGE OF THE TRACK CORE RADIUS (10 NM)

The technique of electrochemical etching of irradiated polymer films i s an useful method to investigate structures of the track cores. In th e case of the investigation of multiple track foils, the mean effectiv e radius corresponds to the average of all synchron etching pores. On the other hand, the etching cones of all tracks do not break through t o conducting micro channels coincidentally. The statistical character of this pore opening (break through) process is still unexplained, alt hough several effects concerning this topic have been observed in the past. Another computer program simulates by way of the Monte Carlo Met hod the etching process of an ensemble of tracks within a thin polymer film. The conductivity of the multiple track etching foil can be desc ribed by the convolution between the conductivity of a single pore and the time dependent breakthrough rate. By way of the Laplace Transform s the measurements of the multiple and single track etching polymer fi lms can be deconvoluted and yield the statistical nature of the pore o pening process.