Simulation and measurement of characteristics of MICROMEGAS gaseous detectors

•We fabricated two MICROMEGAS detectors and studied their characteristics.•GARFIELD simulations were performed and the results were compared with the experiments.•Dependence of the amplification on the gas mixture and the voltage was studied.•The energy resolution of the detector is found to be 16–19% at 5.9 keV and 9–11% at 22 keV.

MICROMEGAS detectors have been developed for the detection and tracking of charged and neutral particles. The control parameters of MICROMEGAS include materials, the type of gases, the mixing ratio of gases and the geometry. Simulations of MICROMEGAS are conducted to optimize the characteristics and performance with respect to the nature of the gas mixture, applied voltages of drift and amplification regions. Quantities such as the equi-potential lines, electron drift lines, and avalanche process of electrons and ions are calculated. Two MICROMEGAS detectors are built and characterized by using standard X-ray sources. The voltage gains are measured against the applied voltage range for different gas pressures and are compared with our simulation results.