Application of the microhole and strip plate detector for neutron detection

We introduce the microhole and strip plate (MHSP) detector as a micropattern detector for the detection of thermal and epithermal neutrons. Detection sensitivity is obtained by filling these detectors with /sup 3/He at high pressures. We propose the use of argon-xenon penning mixtures as the stopping gas as opposed to the usual carbon based stopping gases. These argon-xenon mixtures provide suitable gas gains for the high pressure/high resolution neutron detector applications. With these mixtures it is possible to obtain a sealed detector with only rare-gas filling which is simple to purify and not subject to ageing. An MHSP gas detector filled with a 3-bar argon/50-mbar xenon/6-bar helium mixture can achieve gains above 2/spl times/10/sup 3/. This mixture allows neutron detection efficiencies of about 70% at 1 /spl Aring/ for a 2.5-cm thick absorption region and intrinsic position resolution (full-width at half-maximum) of about 1.8 mm. The sensitivity to /spl gamma/-rays of the present mixture will be the same when compared to that of 2.6-bar CF/sub 4/.