Abstract
The design and function of an electron mobility spectrometer (EMS) including a thick gas electron multiplier (THGEM) is presented. The THGEM was designed to easily be incorporated in an existing EMS to investigate the ability to detect tritium in air using a micropattern gas detector. The THGEM and a collection plate (anode) were installed and the appropriate circuitry was designed and connected to supply the required voltages to the THGEM-EMS. An alpha source (241Am) was used to generate electron-ion pairs within the gas-filled sensitive volume of the EMS. The electrons were used to investigate the THGEM-EMS response as a function of applied voltage to the THGEM and anode. The relative gas-gain and system resolution of the THGEM-EMS were measured at various applied voltage settings. It was observed a potential difference across the THGEM of +420V and potential difference across the induction region of +150V for this EMS setup resulted in the minimum voltage requirements to operate with a stable gain and system resolution. Furthermore, as expected, the gain is strongly affected not only by the potential difference across the THGEM, but also by the applied voltage to the anode and resulting potential difference between the THGEM and anode.
Highlights
The design and function of an electron mobility spectrometer (EMS) including a thick gas electron multiplier (THGEM) is presented
The total distance travelled by the electrons is slightly greater ( $ 1–2 mm) in the THGEM configuration compared to the original wire anode setup
Using the ideal operating conditions for the EMS, reported by Orchard and Waker in [3], the voltages associated with the THGEM and collection plate (CP) within the EMS were investigated to observe the THGEM-EMS gain and system resolution trends
Summary
The EMS, and was used to study the gas multiplication properties of proportional counters and their properties for measuring tritium in air. Studies with the anode-wire configuration of the EMS yielded parameters such as the drift time of electrons, the pulse formation time in the gas multiplication region and relative gas-gain [3]. The use of a robust and easy to fabricate device that would provide a confined gas multiplication region [4] would reduce the uncertainty in timing measurements and for this reason a thick gas electron multiplier (THGEM) has been designed and integrated into the EMS of Orchard and Waker [3]. A set of systematic measurements were conducted and the relative gas-gain and system resolution as a function of applied voltages to the THGEM and induction region are presented. Orchard et al / Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 815 (2016) 62–67
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