A Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter With KI and KBr-Covered Microstrip Plate as Photosensor: Experimental Results

The performance of a xenon-filled gas proportional-scintillation counter is reported, where the VUV Xe scintillation is detected by KI or KBr photocathodes on a microstrip plate. The detector energy resolution R and gain G for 5.9 keV X-rays are presented and compared with previous results obtained with Csl photocathodes. R and G are studied as a function of the halide film thickness and scintillation region length. The best energy resolutions reached values of 12% and 15% for KI and KBr photocathodes, respectively.