Investigations of surface coatings to reduce memory effect in plastic scintillator detectors used for radioxenon detection

• In this work Al(2)O(3) and SiO(2) coatings are tested as Xe diffusion barriers on plastic scintillator substrates. The motivation is improved beta-gamma coincidence detection systems, used to measure atmospheric radioxenon within the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. One major drawback with the current setup of these systems is that the radioxenon tends to diffuse into the plastic scintillator material responsible for the beta detection, resulting in an unwanted memory effect. Here, coatings with thicknesses between 20 and 900 nm have been deposited onto plastic scintillators, and investigated using two different experimental techniques. The results show that all tested coatings reduce the Xe diffusion into the plastic. The reduction is observed to increase with coating thickness for both coating materials. The 425 nm Al(2)O(3) coating is the most successful one, presenting a diffusion reduction of a factor 100, compared to uncoated plastic. In terms of memory effect reduction this coating is thus a viable solution to the problem in question.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Oorganisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Inorganic Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Radioxenon

Gas diffusion barrier

Plastic scintillator

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Atomic layer deposition

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Inorganic chemistry

Oorganisk kemi

Kemi med inriktning mot oorganisk kemi

Chemistry with specialization in Inorganic Chemistry

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)