Studies of the gain properties of gas microstrip detectors relevant to their application as x-ray and electron detectors

Because both the anodic and cathodic gain-defining elements are produced lithographically on the same rigid substrate, the Gas Microstrip Detector (GMSD) makes an excellent planar (position sensitive) amplifier of incident electron clouds. We have studied the dependence of the gas gain and pulse height resolution of the plate as a function of various geometric and gas parameters. The results show that a GMSD can be made very insensitive to the shape of the drift electrode, allowing it to be used in a wide variety of applications. An example of an electron-yield X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) study is given. (author)