R. Bouclier et al., DEVELOPMENT OF MICROSTRIP GAS-CHAMBERS ON SUBSTRATA WITH ELECTRONIC CONDUCTIVITY, IEEE transactions on nuclear science, 41(4), 1994, pp. 821-825
This paper describes several recent developments on Microstrip Gas Cha
mbers (MSGCs). We have studied the operating behaviour of the detector
s in different gas mixtures; maximum stable gains have been achieved i
n mixtures of argon and dimethyl-ether (DME) in almost equal proportio
ns. Using detectors manufactured on semi-conducting glass substrates,
capable of withstanding very high rates (above 10(6) mm-2s-1), we have
demonstrated extended lifetime without gain modifications up to a col
lected charge of 130 mC cm-1 in clean laboratory operating conditions.
We have also verified that relaxing the requirements on cleanness con
ditions, either in the gas mixing system or in the detector constructi
on, may result in fast ageing of the devices under irradiation. As an
alternative to the semi-conducting glass, we have developed a novel te
chnique to coat regular glass with a thin lead silicate layer having e
lectron conductivity; a new development consisting in coating already
manufactured MSGCs with the thin semi-conducting layer is also describ
ed. The preliminary results show an excellent rate capability for this
kind of devices, intrinsically simpler to manufacture.