Development of a thick gas electron multiplier for microdosimetry

A new tissue-equivalent proportional counter based on a thick gas electron multiplier (THGEM) was developed and tested for microdosimetry. A systematic test was conducted at the McMaster Accelerator Laboratory to investigate the overall performance of the prototype detector. A mixed neutron–gamma-ray radiation field was generated using the 7Li(p,n) reaction. The detector was operated at low voltage initially to test the stability and then the relative multiplication gain was measured as a function of the operating high voltage. A drift potential of 100 V and a THGEM bias of 727 V generated a multiplication gain sufficient for the detection of both neutron and gamma-ray radiation. A consistent microdosimetric pattern was observed between the THGEM detector and standard TEPC for microdosimetry.