Physics and Engineering of Radiation Detection

446 Chapter 7. Position Sensitive Detection and Imaging

−

−

+

+

s=vt

v

Anode Wire

Cathode Wires

−HV

−HV

v

Scintillation Counter

Incident

Particle

Output Signal

Counter

Time

Start

Stop

(a)

(b)

Scintillator Pulse

Anode Pulse

Figure 7.2.5: Sketch of a typical multiwire drift chamber and the timing

diagram of its operation. See text for explanations.

MSGCs have seen extensive applications in high energy physics experiments but
their utility is in no way limited to this field only. For example they have found
applications in medical imaging too, though with a modified structure. We will see
later one such design that employs this concept but with inclusion of another layer
of electrodes perpendicular to the anodes and cathodes for two dimensional position
sensitivity.

7.2.E Semiconductor Microstrip Detectors (SMSDs)

Semiconductor microstrip detectors are based on the same principle employed to
build MWPCs and MWGCs with the exception that the detection medium in this