131 research outputs found
Effects of High Charge Densities in Multi-GEM Detectors
A comprehensive study, supported by systematic measurements and numerical
computations, of the intrinsic limits of multi-GEM detectors when exposed to
very high particle fluxes or operated at very large gains is presented. The
observed variations of the gain, of the ion back-flow, and of the pulse height
spectra are explained in terms of the effects of the spatial distribution of
positive ions and their movement throughout the amplification structure. The
intrinsic dynamic character of the processes involved imposes the use of a
non-standard simulation tool for the interpretation of the measurements.
Computations done with a Finite Element Analysis software reproduce the
observed behaviour of the detector. The impact of this detailed description of
the detector in extreme conditions is multiple: it clarifies some detector
behaviours already observed, it helps in defining intrinsic limits of the GEM
technology, and it suggests ways to extend them.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposiu
Charge Transfer Properties Through Graphene Layers in Gas Detectors
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice
with remarkable mechanical, electrical and optical properties. For the first
time graphene layers suspended on copper meshes were installed into a gas
detector equipped with a gaseous electron multiplier. Measurements of low
energy electron and ion transfer through graphene were conducted. In this paper
we describe the sample preparation for suspended graphene layers, the testing
procedures and we discuss the preliminary results followed by a prospect of
further applications.Comment: 2014 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference
with the 21st Symposium on Room-Temperature Semiconductor X-Ray and Gamma-Ray
Detectors, 4 pages, 8 figure
Design, Construction and Metrology of the Overlap Detectors for the ALFA system
The Overlap Detectors of the ALFA syste
Progress on large area GEMs
In 2008, a triple GEM detector prototype with an area of ~2000 cm2 has been
constructed, based on foils of 66*66 cm. GEMs of such dimensions had not been
made before, and innovations to the existing technology were introduced to
build this detector. This paper discusses these innovations and presents
further work on large area GEM development.
A single-mask technique overcomes the cumbersome practice of alignment of two
masks, which limits the achievable lateral size. The holes obtained with this
technique are conical, and have a so-called rim, a small insulating clearance
around the hole in the substrate. Further refinements of this technique allow
greater control over the shape of holes and the size of rims. Also, an
improvement in homogeneity over large areas is expected.
Simulation studies have been done to examine the effect of hole shape on the
behavior of GEMs. Such studies can help understanding how to use new
enhancements of the technique to optimize performance.
Many potential applications for large area GEMs foresee large production
volumes. Production issues have been studied, and single-mask GEMs turn out to
be much more suitable for large scale production than standard GEMs.Comment: Contribution to the MPGD'09 conference, Crete, Greec
Making spherical GEMs
We developed a method to make GEM foils with a spherical geometry. Tests of
this procedure and with the resulting spherical GEMs are presented. Together
with a spherical drift electrode, a spherical conversion gap for x-rays can be
formed. This would eliminate the parallax error in an x-ray diffraction setup,
which limits the spatial resolution at wide diffraction angles. The method is
inexpensive and flexible towards possible changes in the design.
We show advanced plans to make a prototype of an entirely spherical
triple-GEM detector, including a spherical readout structure. This detector
will have a superior position resolution, also at wide diffraction angles, and
a high rate capability. A completely spherical gaseous detector has never been
made before.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the MPGD'09 conference, Cret
Charge Transfer Properties Through Graphene for Applications in Gaseous Detectors
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice
with remarkable mechanical and electrical properties. Regarded as the thinnest
and narrowest conductive mesh, it has drastically different transmission
behaviours when bombarded with electrons and ions in vacuum. This property, if
confirmed in gas, may be a definitive solution for the ion back-flow problem in
gaseous detectors. In order to ascertain this aspect, graphene layers of
dimensions of about 2x2cm, grown on a copper substrate, are transferred
onto a flat metal surface with holes, so that the graphene layer is freely
suspended. The graphene and the support are installed into a gaseous detector
equipped with a triple Gaseous Electron Multiplier (GEM), and the transparency
properties to electrons and ions are studied in gas as a function of the
electric fields. The techniques to produce the graphene samples are described,
and we report on preliminary tests of graphene-coated GEMs.Comment: 4pages, 3figures, 13th Pisa Meeting on Advanced Detector
Demonstration of Gd-GEM detector design for neutron macromolecular crystallography applications
The European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden will become the world's
most powerful thermal neutron source. The Macromolecular Diffractometer (NMX)
at the ESS requires three 51.2 x 51.2~cm detectors with reasonable
detection efficiency, sub-mm spatial resolution, a narrow point spread function
(PSF) and good time resolution. This work presents measurements with the
improved version of the NMX detector prototype consisting of a Triple-GEM
detector with natural Gd converter and a low material budget readout. The
detector was successfully tested at the neutron reactor of the Budapest Neutron
Centre (BNC) and at the D16 instrument at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in
Grenoble. The measurements with Cadmium and Gadolinium masks in Budapest
demonstrate that the point spread function of the detector lacks long tails
that could impede the measurement of diffraction spot intensities. On the D16
instrument at ILL, diffraction spots from Triose phosphate isomerase w/
2-phosphoglycolate (PGA) inhibitor were measured both in the D16 Helium-3
detector and the Gd-GEM. The comparison between the two detectors show a
similar point spread function in both detectors, and the expected efficiency
ratio compared to the Helium-3 detector. Both measurements together thus give
good indications that the Gd-GEM detector fits the requirements for the NMX
instrument at ESS
Construction, test and commissioning of the triple-GEM tracking detector for COMPASS
The Small Area Tracking system of the COMPASS experiment at CERN includes a set of 20 large area, fast position-sensitive Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors, designed to reliably operate in the harsh radiation environment of the experiment. We describe in detail the design, choice of materials, assembly procedures and quality controls used to manufacture the devices. The test procedure in the laboratory, the performance in test beams and in the initial commissioning phase in the experiment are presented and discussed
X-ray imaging with gaseous detectors using the VMM3a and the SRS
The integration of the VMM3a Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) into RD51's Scalable Readout System (SRS) provides a versatile tool for the readout of Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). With its self-triggered high-rate readout, its analogue part that allows to get information on the deposited energy in the detector, and its so-called neighbouring-logic that allows to recover information on the charge distribution, this new system has features of particular interest for digital X-ray imaging. In the present article, we want to emphasise the capabilities of VMM3a/SRS by presenting results of X-ray imaging studies. We will highlight the advantages on the energy and the spatial resolution provided by the neighbouring-logic. In the first part, we focus on spatial resolution studies. We show how segmented readout structures introduce a repeating pattern in the distribution of the reconstructed positions (using the centre-of-gravity method) and how this behaviour can be mitigated with the neighbouring-logic. As part of these studies, we explore as well an alternative position reconstruction algorithm. In the second part of the article, we present the energy resolution studies.Peer reviewe
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