Short induction gap gas electron multiplier (GEM) for X-ray spectroscopy

Experimental work was carried out to evaluate the performance of a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) operated with a micromesh readout plane that enabled the induction gap to be set at 50 μm. We measured the essential operational parameters of this system using Ar(75%)-isobutane (25%) as the counter gas mixture. The measurements included the effective gain, effective gain stability, and the X-ray energy resolution using a 5.89 keV X-ray source. These studies demonstrated several advantages of the current system when compared with the standard operation, such as lower operational voltages, higher effective gains and improved effective gain stability.