Micro Edge Gas Chamber (MEGC), a novel detector with the same performance as Micro Strip Gas Chamber (MSGC)

Abstract

The proposed radiation gas detector has a similar structure as the Micro Strip Gas Chamber (MSGC), but with a different manufacturing process. In this detector, the edges of a stacked Cathode (Copper)/Insulator (Mylar)/Anode (Aluminum)/Insulator (Mylar) sheet sequence have the same performance as the MSGC, so it is called the Micro Edge Gas Chamber (MEGC). Since in the production process of MEGC, it is not necessary to deposit the metals on the substrate, the choice of materials is more flexible. In this way, different insulating materials with suitable conductivity and thickness can be used to improve rate capability and multiplication gain, respectively. In addition, without clean room and state-of-the-art technology, it is possible to fabricate MEGC with very primary instruments. For the gas mixture of (Ar: 70%, CO2:30%), for the alpha particles, the maximum amplification gain of fabricated MEGC is 355, and for the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 15, the full detection efficiency of around 98% can be achieved. For the proposed MEGC, the maximum number of charges before electric discharge (primary charges generated in the drift region multiplied by the multiplication gain) is around 1.1 × 107, and for the best-designed MSGC is 4 × 107. Thus, the proposed detector, despite its simplicity, without any optimization, has a reasonable quality with respect to MSGC.