Position-sensitive proportional counter with low-resistance metal-wire anode

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:863558

Kopp, Manfred K ^[1]

---

1. Oak Ridge, TN

A position-sensitive proportional counter circuit is provided which allows the use of a conventional (low-resistance, metal-wire anode) proportional counter for spatial resolution of an ionizing event along the anode of the counter. A pair of specially designed active-capacitance preamplifiers are used to terminate the anode ends wherein the anode is treated as an RC line. The preamplifiers act as stabilized active capacitance loads and each is composed of a series-feedback, low-noise amplifier, a unity-gain, shunt-feedback amplifier whose output is connected through a feedback capacitor to the series-feedback amplifier input. The stabilized capacitance loading of the anode allows distributed RC-line position encoding and subsequent time difference decoding by sensing the difference in rise times of pulses at the anode ends where the difference is primarily in response to the distributed capacitance along the anode. This allows the use of lower resistance wire anodes for spatial radiation detection which simplifies the counter construction and handling of the anodes, and stabilizes the anode resistivity at high count rates (>10.sup.6 counts/sec).

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4197462
• OSTI ID: 863558
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

position-sensitive
proportional
counter
low-resistance
metal-wire
anode
circuit
provided
allows
conventional
spatial
resolution
ionizing
event
pair
specially
designed
active-capacitance
preamplifiers
terminate
treated
line
stabilized
active
capacitance
loads
composed
series-feedback
low-noise
amplifier
unity-gain
shunt-feedback
output
connected
feedback
capacitor
input
loading
distributed
rc-line
position
encoding
subsequent
time
difference
decoding
sensing
rise
times
pulses
primarily
response
resistance
wire
anodes
radiation
detection
simplifies
construction
handling
stabilizes
resistivity
count
rates
10
counts
rise times
wire anode
specially designed
proportional counter
spatial resolution
radiation detection
count rate
rise time
count rates
feedback capacitor
time difference
ionizing event
sensitive proportional
resistance wire
noise amplifier
metal-wire anode
position-sensitive proportional
counter circuit
/250/