Microhexcavity Plasma Panel Detectors

TL;DR

This paper introduces the design, fabrication, and initial testing of Microhexcavity plasma panel detectors, a novel gaseous ionizing radiation detector with hermetic sealing and low spontaneous discharge rates.

Contribution

It presents the development and characterization of the $$Hex detector, a new variant of plasma panel detectors with hexagonal pixels and Geiger mode operation.

Findings

Detectors produce Volt-level signals upon ionizing radiation detection.

Spontaneous discharge rate is significantly lower than beta-induced rates.

Initial tests demonstrate the detector's potential for radiation sensing applications.

Abstract

Plasma panel detectors are a variant of micropattern detectors that are sensitive to ionizing radiation. They are motivated by the design and operation of plasma display panels. The detectors consist of arrays of electrically and optically isolated pixels defined by metallized cavities embedded in a dielectric substrate. These are hermetically sealed gaseous detectors that use exclusively non-hydrocarbon gas mixtures. The newest variant of these closed-architecture detectors is known as the Microhexcavity plasma panel detector ($\mu$Hex) consisting of 2 mm wide, regular close-packed hexagonal pixels each with a circular thick-film anode. The fabrication, staging, and operation of these detectors is described. Initial tests with the $\mu$Hex detectors operated in Geiger mode yield Volt-level signals in the presence of ionizing radiation. The spontaneous discharge rate in the absence of a source is roughly 3-4 orders of magnitude lower compared to the rates measured using low energy betas.