Standard Gas Electron Multiplier Research Articles

Studies of the delayed discharge propagation in the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM)

This paper presents an investigation of the delayed discharge propagation (DP) to the readout electrode. After a primary discharge develops inside a GEM foil hole the DP can occur with a time delay in the range of 1–100μs. A single hole THGEM (THick GEM) foil that enables a controlled discharge position and the induction of primary discharge with an over-voltage in the THGEM foil has been used in the initial DP measurements. In order to justify the use of a custom-made THGEM foil, additional measurements were made with a standard GEM foil. Correlated optical (with an ordinary SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) and a high-speed camera) and electrical measurements of the delayed DP were made for a Ne–CO2-N2 (90-10-5) mixture and with different powering configurations. Measurements show that the delayed DP happens without a drift field, with an inverted induction field, inverted THGEM voltages or an inverted drift field. After the primary discharge, there is a charge transfer in the induction region at an induction field value below that of the onset field for DP. In the time between the primary discharge and the delayed DP, three different current regimes are observed, which suggests multiple charge transfer mechanisms in the induction region. High-speed camera recordings provide valuable insight into the time evolution of the primary discharge and the delayed DP, especially when correlated with electrical measurements.

Advantages of Al based GEM detector aimed at plasma soft−semi hard X-ray radiation imaging

Development of gaseous detectors, more specifically Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) based detectors, for application at tokamak plasma radiation monitoring/imaging in Soft−Semi Hard X-ray (S−SH) region is an ongoing research activity aiming to deliver valuable information on plasma shape, magnetic configuration, non-axisymmetry phenomena of the plasma, etc. Wide radiation range and brightness of plasma radiation impose some restrictions on choice of materials in the detecting chamber, as their interaction with the incident radiation may disrupt original signals.This work proposes usage of aluminum as GEM foils electrodes for the first time. The detector based on these foils was constructed and examined. The operational characteristics and spectral capabilities of such detector were compared with the ones based on the standard (commonly used) copper GEM foils. The laboratory tests were performed using X-ray tube and 55Fe sources to examine detectors’ capabilities in energy-resolved imaging. Additionally, simulations of origin and number of the generated electrons, which determine the detector signal, were performed for Al and Cu GEM foils for a wide energy range of incident photons. The experimental and modelling data demonstrated that Cu based GEM detector produces higher parasitic signal than Al one necessitating total elimination of copper from detector’s chamber.

Design and preliminary test of a multi-element tissue-equivalent proportional counter based on the gas electron multiplier

In order to monitor the intense neutron and gamma radiation, multi-element tissue equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) based on the standard gas electron multiplier (GEM) and ceramic thick GEM (THGEM) foils were designed and respectively tested by implanted 55Fe and 241Am sources which would also be used as calibration sources. The performance testing of GEM-TEPC/THGEM-TEPC detectors at various parameters showed that the detectors could work well. The THGEM-TEPC was also used to measure the linear energy spectra in 241Am–Be and intense (108 ncm−2s−1) neutron radiation fields. The results displayed that THGEM-TEPC was available to do microdosimetric research or be a dosimeter in intense neutron/gamma field.

Development of Gating Foils To Inhibit Ion Feedback Using FPC Production Techniques

Positive ion feedback from a gas amplification device to the drift region of the Time Projection Chamber for the ILC can deteriorate the position resolution. In order to inhibit the feedback ions, MPGD-based gating foils having good electron transmission have been developed to be used instead of the conventional wire gate. The gating foil needs to control the electric field locally in opening or closing the gate. The gating foil with a GEM (gas electron multiplier)-like structure has larger holes and smaller thickness than standard GEMs for gas amplification. It is known that the foil transmits over 80 % of electrons and blocks ions almost completely. We have developed the gating foils using flexible printed circuit (FPC) production techniques including an improved single-mask process. In this paper, we report on the production technique of 335 μm pitch, 12.5 μm thick gating foil with 80 % transmittance of electrons in ILC conditions.

Quality assurance of GEM foils for the upgrade of the ALICE TPC

With the planned upgrade of the ALICE Time Projection Chamber (TPC) the current readout technology will be replaced by a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM)—based readout technology in order to allow for a continuous operation at high interaction rates up to 50 kHz. A stack of four GEM stages with non-standard field configuration was chosen to achieve a suppression of the ion backflow below 1%, while maintaining a good energy resolution below σ / E= \\unit[12]% for 55 Fe. A discharge probability of 10−10 for α-particles was confirmed for this low ion backflow field configuration. This is comparable to standard triple GEM detectors in low discharge settings. To upgrade all the Inner and Outer Readout Chambers of ALICE, 576 GEM foils will be needed. Only GEM foils that fullfill the highest quality criteria can be used. Therefore a quality assurance scheme has been developed that includes a large set of quality assurance measurements.

Measurement and simulation of the hybrid structure gaseous detector gain

As one of the most popular micro pattern gaseous detectors, gas electron multiplier (GEM) has been extensively studied and applied in recent years. The studies of the detector gain measurement and simulation are important, especially on a low gain scale. Traditionally, the gain measurement is realized by measuring the current or the pulse height spectrum. The former needs complicated electronic chain calibration and the latter needs necessarily to calculate the primary electron number. In this paper, an alternative method to determine the effective gain of GEM is introduced. The GEM gain can be precisely achieved through a gaseous detector of hybrid structure which combines GEM with micro-mesh gaseous structure (MM). The hybrid structure is called GEM-MM for short. The GEM-MM detector consists of drift cathode, standard GEM foil, stainless steel micro mesh, and readout anode. In this detector, the space between the cathode and the GEM foil is called drift gap and the other space between the GEM foil and the mesh is named transfer gap. When the X-rays irradiate into the gas volume of GEM-MM, the primary ionization occurs in both regions. Photoelectrons in the drift gap transfer from the drift region to amplification sensitive areas of the GEM and the MM detector while those in the transfer region are only amplified by the MM detector. In the energy spectrum of 55Fe, there is a clear energy profile including two sets of peaks. The gain of GEM can be easily obtained from the energy spectrum. Meanwhile, detailed simulations are carried out with Garfield++ software package. Simulation of the electron transport parameters has been optimized. and the gains of GEM detector are also calculated for three different gas mixtures. Experimental results of the gains ranging from 3 to 24 are obtained. The gains of GEM under different working voltages are studied precisely from the spectrum measurements. The Penning transfer rate could reach 0.32±0.01 when the simulated value matches the measurement within 1σ error.

Gain Characteristics of a 100 μm thick Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM)

The standard Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) invented by F. Sauli [1] consists of high density holes etched in 50 μm thick copper clad Kapton foil. This study, however, investigated the basic charge gain characteristics of a non-standard 100 μm thick Gas Electron Multiplier, fabricated using the same wet chemical etch process at CERN. It was possible to sustain charge gains of 3× 103 and 1× 104 using single and double stage configurations, respectively, operated in an Ar(70%)-CO2(30%) gas mixture. These values are similar to those achieved with standard GEMs. Crucially, we found that the thicker GEM is more robust as it withstood sparking without catastrophic failure. We also measured the gain dependence on ambient variables such as pressure and temperature and found the gain sensitivity to be 4.0 K/mbar, compared with 1.55 K/mbar for the standard GEM.

X-ray imaging with GEMs using 100 μm thick foils

A simple X-ray imaging system using off-the-shelf electronics and simple reconstruction algorithms aiming a spatial resolution of 1.7 mm ( ∼ 3 % of the detector length) is described in this work. For this, two 100 cm2 Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foils with a thickness of 100 μm (2-fold thicker than the standard ones) were immersed in a mixture of argon and carbon dioxide (70:30). The charge readout with 2D position determination was done with resistive charge division.Due to their higher thickness with respect to the standard GEMs, the 100 μm thick GEM foils were found to be less prone to damage caused by the electrical discharges.X-ray images are shown and some descriptions of the physical processes involved are presented. We describe the advantages of this method that allows counting each X-ray photon or particle entering the detector, its interaction position, as well as measuring of its energy. The results of our present work show a position resolution below 2 mm, being limited by the gas mixture used, and not the detecting system, with a very good cost effectiveness. Future work is being carried out to optimize the present system for a medical application as a proton beam monitor.

Thick GEM with a resistive coating

The results of testing a detector based on a thick gas electron multiplier (GEM) are presented. Impact of the TGEM dielectric charging on detector physical parameters is assessed based on simulation and experimental results. The further development of the detector—TGEM with resistive coating was constructed and tested. The test results are presented and compared to a standard thick GEM.

A Measurement of the Scintillation Light Yield in ${\rm CF}_{4}$ Using a Photosensitive GEM Detector

The absolute photon yield of scintillation light produced by highly ionizing particles in pure CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> has been measured using a photosensitive Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector. The detector consists of two standard GEMs and a CsI coated GEM which acts as a photocathode that is sensitive to the 160 nm scintillation light produced in CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> . The light yield was determined in terms of the number of scintillation photons emitted into a 4π solid angle produced per MeV of energy deposited in the gas by a 5.5 MeV alpha particle and found to be 314 ±15 photons per MeV. The quantum yield was determined using a fitting method to determine the number of photoelectrons from the measured pulse height distribution, and by an independent method using the measured gain of the GEM detector. The effect of scintillation light in CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> on the performance of Cherenkov detectors, such as the PHENIX Hadron Blind Detector (HBD) at RHIC, is also discussed.

Development of the GEM-MSTPC for measurements of low-energy nuclear reactions

We have developed an active target type gas detector, multi-sampling tracking proportional chamber (MSTPC) for studies of low-energy nuclear reactions such as (α,n) and (α,p). For higher rate capability, a gas electron multiplier (GEM) foil was adopted, instead of a multi-wire proportional counter, as a component of the MSTPC. We studied the basic properties of gas gain in a 400μm thick GEM (THGEM), which was compared to those of standard CERN GEMs. The THGEM was examined for gain instability and positive-ion feedback, especially with low-pressure He-base mixed gas. The THGEM was found to be applicable as a proportional counter using our gas target and He as the operating gas.

Performance study of new thicker GEM

We constructed a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) chamber using a new type of GEM foils with holes etched into a flexible printed circuit board using LASER and then plasma. The effective gas gain in a chamber containing three of the foils was similar to that obtainable using three standard CERN GEM foils. The new etching method allows holes to be made in thicker foils. New GEM foils 100 μ m thick were produced to achieve higher gas gains with a single GEM configuration. The effective gas gain was higher than obtained with a chamber with three standard 50 μ m -thick GEM foils in the same electric fields. Using the new thicker GEM foils allows the chamber to be simpler and, in the near future, cylindrical.