Development of New Hole-Type Avalanche Detectors and the First Results of Their Applications

We have developed a new detector of photons and charged particles-a hole-type structure with electrodes made of a double layered resistive material: a thin low resistive layer coated with a layer having much higher resistivity. One of the unique features of this detector is its capability to operate at high gas gains (up to ) in air or in gas mixtures with air. They can also operate in a cascaded mode or be combined with other detectors, for example with GEM. This opens new avenues in their applications. Several prototypes based on this new detector and oriented to practical applications were developed and successfully tested: a detector of soft X-rays and alpha particles, a flame sensor, a detector of dangerous gases. All of these devices could operate stably even in humid air and/or in dusty conditions. The main advantages of these devices are their simplicity, low cost, and high sensitivity. For example, due to the avalanche multiplication, the detectors of flames and dangerous gases have a sensitivity of 10-100 times higher than commercial devices. We therefore believe that new detectors will have a great future.