Triple-GEM detector operation for

high-rate particle triggering

W. Bonivento, G. Bencivenni, A. Cardini,

C. Deplano, P. de Simone, F. Murtas,
D. Pinci, M. Poli-Lener and D. Raspino
 The Gas Electron Multiplier

 A Gas Electron Multiplier is made by 50 m thick kapton

foil, copper clad on each side and perforated by an high
surface-density of bi-conical channels;

 By applying a potential
difference between the two
copper sides an electric
field as high as 100 kV/cm
is produced in the holes
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

acting as multiplication
channels;

 The gain of a single GEM is

of the order 20100.
 The triple-GEM detector
 Multiple GEM structures allow to reach high gain in safe
operating conditions, resulting very useful for ionizing particle
detention;
 Several 3-GEM detector prototypes have been built and tested
in last two years by our group;

3-GEM detector
layout together with
the labeling of
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

different geometrical
parameters

 We propose this kind of detector for equipping the central

region (R1) of the first station (M1) of the LHCb  system.
 Detector construction

10x10 cm2 GEM stretched

and glued on frames
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

Prototype before closing

 Rate capability
 The rate capability was measured with an X-ray (5.9 keV) tube;
 The detector was supplied with an Ar/CO2/CF4 (60/20/20)
mixture resulting in a gain of about 2x104;
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

A very good gain stability was

found up to a photon flux of
about 5x107 Hz/cm2

LHCb R1M1 maximum rate

 Ageing test
 With a gain of 2x104 a total integrated charge of 13 C/cm2 is
expected in 10 years of operation in R1M1;

 By irradiating a 3-GEM chamber with an flux of 50 MHz/cm2

X-rays, in 10 days a total charge of 20 C/cm2 was integrated;

Less than 5% change in the

chamber behavior
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

P and T variations were

monitored by using a low
irradiated 3-GEM chamber

LHCb R1M1 maximum integrated charge

 The gas mixtures
 In the beam tests we studied 4 different gas mixtures:
1. Ar/CO2 70/30;
2. Ar/CO2/CF4 60/20/20;
3. Ar/CF4/C4H10 65/28/7;
4. Ar/CO2/CF4 45/15/40;
 Given
 n: the number of clusters
per unit length;
 v: the electron drift velocity
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

in the drift gap;

 The 1/nv term is the main Drift field 3 kV/cm

contribution to the time The Ar/CO2/CF4 45/15/40 gas
resolution of this kind of mixture should give the same
detector. time performance as the
Ar/CO2/C4H10 65/28/7.
 The gas mixture gains

 The triple-GEM detector gain was measured by using

X-rays for the different gas mixtures;

 The detector gain resulted

essentially an exponential
function of the sum of the
3 GEM voltage supplies:
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

G = A e(Vgem1+Vgem2+Vgem3)

 A and  depend on the

gas mixture.
 The time performance
Best TDC spectra for the gas mixtures used

RMS 9.7 ns RMS 5.3 ns

Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

RMS 4.5 ns RMS 4.5 ns

 The efficiency in 25 ns
 A very important requirement for triggering in LHC experiments
is to ensure an high efficiency in a 25 ns time window for a
correct bunch crossing identification;
Chamber efficiency in 25 ns

Fast mixtures give an

25 of 98% also at
moderate gain values
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

Slow mixture 25 less

than 88% also for
high gain values
 Discharge studies
 Because of the Landau’s
distribution tail, sometime a large
amount of pairs is created in the gas;
 After the multiplication the charge
can exceed the Raether limit giving
raise to a streamer formation in the
GEM holes;

 In this case a discharge

occurs;
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

 A discharge is seen:
 On the GEM electrodes as a
sudden increase of the
current needed for the
recharge;
 On the pads as a momentary
drop of current because of
the drop of the detector gain.
 Discharge probability
 The discharge probability per incident particle was measured by
testing 3 chambers at the Paul Sherrer Institute with a particle
rate of about 300 MHz;

 No ageing or other damages observed on the 3 detectors after

about 5000 discharges integrated;

 Up to this value the detector operation seems completely safe;

Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

 Because of the particle rate in R1M1 (0.5 MHz/cm2) in order to

have less than 5000 discharges/detector in 10 years 

discharge probability per incident particle < 10-12

 Combined results
 The results of the discharge probability per incident particle are
compared with the efficiency in 25 ns;

 In LHCb R1M1 the 3-GEM chambers have to ensure a wide

working region where:

 The discharge probability is less than 10-12;

Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

 The efficiency in 25 ns time window of 2 OR-ed chambers is

greater than 99%;

 The pad cluster size is less than 1.2 with 1x1.25 cm2 pad;
 Results: Ar/CO2/CF4 60/20/20
25 ns time window of
two chambers in
OR > 99%
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

Discharge
probability < 10-12

Very narrow working region (if any…)

 Results: Ar/CF4/C4H10 65/28/7
25 ns time window of
two chambers in
OR > 99%
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

Discharge
probability < 10-12

1030 V 1075 V

45 V wide working region

 Results: Ar/CO2/CF4 45/15/40
25 ns time window of
two chambers in
OR > 99%
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

Discharge
probability < 10-12

1250 V 1315 V

65 V wide working region

 The pad cluster size

 The pad cluster size values at the end of the working regions are
reported in plot;
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

1.22 1.16 1.17

 Summary
 After two years and several prototypes built and tested we may
conclude:

 Very high rate capability (up to 5x107 Hz/cm2);

 Very good ageing performance (good stability up to 20 C/cm2);
 Ar/CO2/CF4 60/20/20  narrow working region 10 V;
 Ar/CF4/C4H10 65/28/7  wide working region  45 V;
 Ar/CO2/CF4 45/15/40  wide working region  65 V with a
Davide Pinci Università di Cagliari

cluster size lower than 1.17;

The triple-GEM detector with Ar/CO2/CF4 (45/15/40) mixture

fulfills all the requirements to be used in R1M1