Developments and the preliminary tests of Resistive GEMs manufactured by a screen printing technology

TL;DR

This paper introduces resistive GEM detectors made via screen printing, demonstrating high gains, spark protection, and stable operation in various gases, with potential for broad practical applications.

Contribution

First successful manufacturing of resistive GEMs using screen printing, enabling accessible production and customizable electrode resistivity for diverse applications.

Findings

Achieved high gas gains comparable to metallic GEMs

Demonstrated stable operation in noble and badly quenched gases

Showed ease of manufacturing and potential for practical uses

Abstract

We report promising initial results obtained with new resistive-electrode GEM (RETGEM) detectors manufactured, for the first time, using screen printing technology. These new detectors allow one to reach gas gains nearly as high as with ordinary GEM-like detectors with metallic electrodes; however, due to the high resistivity of its electrodes the RETGEM, in contrast to ordinary hole-type detectors, has the advantage of being fully spark protected. We discovered that RETGEMs can operate stably and at high gains in noble gases and in other badly quenched gases, such as mixtures of noble gases with air and in pure air; therefore, a wide range of practical applications, including dosimetry and detection of dangerous gases, is foreseeable. To promote a better understanding of RETGEM technology some comparative studies were completed with metallic-electrode thick GEMs. A primary benefit of these new RETGEMs is that the screen printing technology is easily accessible to many research laboratories. This accessibility encourages the possibility to manufacture these GEM-like detectors with the electrode resistivity easily optimized for particular experimental or practical applications.