A comparative study of different microstrip plate geometries for CsI-based UV photosensors working in a reflective mode

A study by numerical simulation of the performance of 8 different microstrip plate (MSP) chambers filled with xenon at the pressure of 10/sup 5/ Pa is carried out. The anode width is fixed at 10 /spl mu/m but the cathode width ranges from 80 to 320 /spl mu/m with variable anode-to-cathode distances (from 10 to 55 /spl mu/m). Simulation results are presented for the avalanche multiplication factors at a certain drift position and gains for the various geometries. The amount of optical positive feedback is also estimated for the various geometries, since this is a determinant factor for the use of a CsI-covered MSP chamber, as a VUV photosensor for detection of the scintillation light of a Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter. For this purpose, the best MSP geometry studied is the one with 160 /spl mu/m cathodes and cathode-to-anode gaps of 55 /spl mu/m.