Electrical breakdown in Thick-GEM based WELL detectors

Abstract

The occurrence of electrical discharges in gas detectors restricts their dynamic range and degrades their performance. Among the different methods developed to mitigate discharge effects, the use of resistive materials in the detector assembly was found to be very effective. In this work, we present the results of a comparative study of electrical discharges in Thick-GEM-based WELL-type detectors — with and without resistive elements. We present a new method to measure discharges in the resistive-detector configurations; it allows demonstrating, for the first time, the occurrence of discharges also in the Resistive-Plate WELL detector configuration. It also provides direct evidence for the Raether limit.

Novel resistive charge-multipliers for dual-phase LAr-TPCs: towards stable operation at higher gains

“…It is worth noting that the probability trend is very similar despite the different temperature conditions and a ∼1 % discharge probability is achieved at the maximum voltage for all three cases. This is in line with room temperature results [25].…”

Towards development of Spark-Less-Avalanche-Microstructures

“…Adequate gains of up to 𝐺 ≈ 1000 are achieved with the 55 Fe source before the first instabilities occur, while the reached gains are slightly lower with the alpha source. For example, some recent results can be found in [7]. Systematic studies performed by various groups reveal that in bad-quality detectors, they are caused by various imperfections, in high-quality detectors they appear due to surface streams and/or breakdowns due to the Raether limit [1].…”

“…Similar instabilities are often observed in MPGDs. For example, some recent results can be found in[7]. Systematic studies performed by various groups reveal that in bad-quality detectors, they are caused by various imperfections, in high-quality detectors they appear due to surface streams and/or breakdowns due to the Raether limit[1].…”

Towards a large-area RPWELL detector: design optimization and performance

“…WELL (RWELL) [8] and the Resistive Plate WELL (RPWELL) [9] are THWELL-like structures with resistive elements embedded in the detector design to mitigate the effect of discharges [10]. In the RWELL, the THWELL-electrode is coupled to the readout anode through a resistive layer (∼ 100 K-10 MΩ/□) deposited on a thin (∼ 100 μm) insulating sheet.…”