Cortesi M, Rost S, Mittig W, Ayyad-Limonge Y, Bazin D, Yurkon J, Stolz A
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Rev Sci Instrum. 2017 Jan;88(1):013303. doi: 10.1063/1.4974333.
The operating principle and performances of the Multi-layer Thick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (M-THGEM) are presented. The M-THGEM is a novel hole-type gaseous electron multiplier produced by multi-layer printed circuit board technology; it consists of a densely perforated assembly of multiple insulating substrate sheets (e.g., FR-4), sandwiched between thin metallic-electrode layers. The electron avalanche processes occur along the successive multiplication stages within the M-THGEM holes, under the action of strong dipole fields resulting from the application of suitable potential differences between the electrodes. The present work focuses on the investigation of two different geometries: a two-layer M-THGEM (either as single or double-cascade detector) and a single three-layer M-THGEM element, tested in various low-pressure He-based gas mixtures. The intrinsically robust confinement of the avalanche volume within the M-THGEM holes provides an efficient reduction of the photon-induced secondary effects, resulting in a high-gain operation over a broad pressure range, even in pure elemental gas. The operational principle, main properties (maximum achievable gain, long-term stability, energy resolution, etc.) under different irradiation conditions, as well as capabilities and potential applications are presented and discussed.
介绍了多层厚气体电子倍增器（M-THGEM）的工作原理和性能。M-THGEM是一种采用多层印刷电路板技术制造的新型孔型气体电子倍增器；它由多个绝缘基板片（如FR-4）的密集穿孔组件组成，夹在薄金属电极层之间。在电极之间施加适当电位差产生的强偶极场作用下，电子雪崩过程在M-THGEM孔内的连续倍增阶段发生。目前的工作重点是研究两种不同的几何结构：双层M-THGEM（作为单级或双级联探测器）和单个三层M-THGEM元件，在各种基于低压氦的气体混合物中进行测试。M-THGEM孔内雪崩体积的固有稳健限制有效地减少了光子诱导的二次效应，即使在纯元素气体中，也能在很宽的压力范围内实现高增益运行。介绍并讨论了其工作原理、在不同辐照条件下的主要特性（最大可实现增益、长期稳定性、能量分辨率等）以及功能和潜在应用。
