Imaging micro-well detectors for X-ray and gamma-ray applications

Gas proportional counter arrays based on the micro-well are an example of a new generation of detectors that exploit narrow anode-cathode gaps, rather than fine anodes, to create gas gain. These are inherently imaging pixel detectors that can be made very large for reasonable costs. Because of their intrinsic gain and room-temperature operation, they can be instrumented at very low power per unit area, making them valuable for a variety of space-flight applications where large-area X-ray imaging or particle tracking is required. We discuss micro-well detectors as focal plane imager for Lobster-ISS, a proposed soft X-ray all-sky monitor, and as electron trackers for the Next Generation High-Energy Gamma Ray mission. We have developed a fabrication technique using a masked UV laser that allows us both to machine micro-wells in polymer substrates and to pattern metal electrodes. We have used this technique to fabricate detectors which image X-rays by simultaneously reading out orthogonal anode and cathode strips. We present imaging results from these detectors, as well as gain and energy resolution measurements that agree well with results from other groups.