Electric and Photoelectric Gates for ion backflow suppression in multi-GEM structures

Abstract

A new approach to suppress ion backflow in multi-GEM structures is suggested. In this approach, the potential difference applied across the gap between two adjacent GEMs is reversed compared to the standard configuration. In such a gap structure, called Electric Gate, a signal transfer from the first to second GEM is presumably provided by the small residual field still existing at small gate voltages and connecting the holes of the two GEMs. On the other hand, ion backflow between the GEMs turned out to be substantially reduced. We also consider another configuration, called Photoelectric Gate, in which in addition to the Electric Gate configuration, a CsI photocathode is deposited on the second GEM. In the Photoelectric Gate, ion backflow through the gap is fully suppressed and the signal transfer through the gap is provided by the photoelectric mechanism due to either avalanche scintillations in the first GEM or proportional scintillations in the electroluminescence gap replacing the first GEM. The idea of the Electric Gate might find applications in the field of TPC detectors and gas photomultipliers. The idea of the Photoelectric Gate is more relevant in the field of two-phase avalanche detectors.

12 pages, 14 figures. Submitted to JINST

References in corpus (10)

• Advances in Thick GEM-like gaseous electron multipliers. Part I: atmospheric pressure operation
• Study of ion feedback in multi-GEM structures
• Two-phase argon and xenon avalanche detectors based on Gas Electron Multipliers
• Ion-induced effects in GEM & GEM/MHSP gaseous photomultipliers for the UV and the visible spectral range
• Physics of multi-GEM structures
• Charge Transfer and Charge Broadening of GEM Structures in High Magnetic Fields
• GEM operation in helium and neon at low temperatures
• First results from cryogenic avalanche detectors based on gas electron multipliers
• MHSP in reversed-biased operation mode for ion blocking in gas-avalanche multipliers
• The Photon-Assisted Cascaded Electron Multiplier: a Concept for Potential Avalanche-Ion Blocking

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Advances in Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors
• Further progress in ion back-flow reduction with patterned gaseous hole-multipliers
• Liquid Hole-Multipliers: A potential concept for large single-phase noble-liquid TPCs of rare events
• Electroluminescence and electron avalanching in two-phase detectors
• First observation of liquid-xenon proportional electroluminescence in THGEM holes
• A two-phase argon avalanche detector operated in a single electron counting mode
• Recent Advances in Bubble-Assisted Liquid Hole Multipliers in Liquid Xenon
• High pressure operation of the Photon-Assisted Cascaded Electron Multiplier