Instruments and Experimental Techniques, Vol. 45, No. 2, 2002, pp. 175–177.

Translated from Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, No. 2, 2002, pp. 34–36.

Original Russian Text Copyright © 2002 by Brovchenko, Kirichenko, Tsygankov.

NUCLEAR EXPERIMENTAL
TECHNIQUE

A Circuit for External Quenching of the Discharge

in the Geiger–Muller Counter
V. G. Brovchenko, A. M. Kirichenko, and M. M. Tsygankov
Electronika Scientific and Technical Complex, Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Center, pl. Kurchatova,
Moscow, 123182 Russia
Received July 2, 2001; in final form, October 31 2001

Abstract—A simple circuit for external quenching of the discharge in the Geiger–Muller counter is described.
The number of ions produced in the gas-discharge gap during the operation of the counter is reduced by a factor
of ten.

Geiger–Muller counters are currently in wide use occur. For the circuit shown in Fig. 1a, it is usually rec-
[1, 2]. A large number of circuits for forced discharge ommended that R‡ ~ 2–4 MΩ .
quenching that increase the operation speed of the
counters have been described [2, 3]. The objective of In the ionization radioactive-radiation detectors
this paper is to test a äí969Ä transistor as a compo- (ionization chambers, semiconductor detectors), the
nent of an external-quenching circuit and to define detector current is usually small and does not markedly
more exactly the requirements of the circuit. To check affect the detector speed. However, in the gas-discharge
the circuit performance, it was connected to one of the detectors, the number of heavy ions produced during a
anodes of an ëÅí-10 counter (the supply voltage was discharge event is large. The ions form a cloud around
not applied to the other anodes). the cathode wire, thus shielding it and preventing the
development of another discharge. As is known, the
Figure 1a shows a simplified diagram of the detector time required for ion withdrawal and deionization is the
connection that was used to measure the basic detector main factor that limits the detector speed. It should be
characteristics. Figures 1b and 1c show the shapes of noted that, upon completion of the discharge, the
the signals at the anode (the signals were measured at motion of ions induces current in the external circuit,
point a and referred to the anode) and at the cathode of which retards the recovery of the counter anode volt-
the detector. When the counter is operated, the capaci- age. The deionization time constant is usually τd >> τ‡.
tances C1 and C2 are discharged with the currents i1 In the counter tested, C1 + C2 ~ 3.5 pF. The discharge
and i2 via the gas-discharge gap and charged with the time, the time of the discharge propagation along the
currents ich1 and ich2 . During the operation of the counter wire included, is about 1 µs (see the starting-
counter, the anode voltage drops down to U0 , at which peak duration in Fig. 1c). The charge delivered to the
the discharge is quenched (in our case, U0 ≈ 100 V). counter gas-discharge gap is
The time of recovery after the discharge depends on q ≅ ( U s – U 0 ) ( C1 + C2 )
the time constant
Us – U0
-t ≅ 1.1 × 10 C.
–9
+ -----------------
τ‡ = (C1 + C2 )(R‡ + R), R a + R dch
where C1 is the counter self-capacitance and C2 is the Let us assume the shape of the deionization curve to
stray capacitance. For the recovery time to be minimal, be exponential. The measured time constant τd for this
C1 , C2, R‡ , and R should be small. In the counter tested, curve is about 25 µs. In this case, upon completion of
the capacitance C1 was 1.7 pF. The value of R‡ cannot the discharge, the initial deionization current,
be indefinitely small, since the counter lifetime short-
ens, as the average current passing in it increases. In q
I 0 = ---- = 45µÄ,
addition, at small R‡, repeated spurious discharges τd

0020-4412/02/4502-0175$27.00 © 2002 åAIK “Nauka /Interperiodica”

176 BROVCHENKO et al.

Us (+380 V) this time. Therefore, the rate of ion withdrawal is also

minimal.

R The circuit for external quenching of the discharge

10 kΩ is intended to reduce the charge formed in the gas-dis-
charge gap upon operation of the counter [3]. The cir-
a
(a) cuit must operate with a sufficiently small delay after
the start of the discharge and must have a small self-
Ra 2.52 MΩ capacitance. The small self-capacitance and small leak-
age current allow the anode resistor R‡ to be sufficiently
ich1 high (when R‡ is small, the detector can be damaged if
C2 C1 the quenching circuit fails).
ich2 ip1
ip2
The circuit diagram of the proposed device is given
in Fig. 2. When the counter operates, its anode voltage
starts decreasing and initiates the operation of the logic
element M1-1 . At the output of M1-1, a positive pulse is
Rc
generated, which has a duration of ~0.5 µs. The nor-
1 kΩ mally turned-off transistor Q3 is enabled and intercepts
the discharge currents from the anode capacitances of
the counter. The discharge continues until the voltage
Us(+380 V) ~110 V drops down to 50 V. At this voltage, the transistor Q3
saturates. A drop of voltage down to 50 V is sufficient
(b) to quench the discharge, and the remaining 50-V volt-
τd = 25 µs age speeds up the withdrawal of the residual ionic
charge formed in the counter at the start of the opera-
τa C2, pF 1.8 56
tion. When the signal from M1-1, which turns on the
UÍ, V 1.5 15
100 V transistor Q3, is over, the anode voltage is recovered
τd = 50 µs τd, µs ~25 ~50 with a delay of 2–3 µs, because the withdrawal of the
0V self-charges from the saturated transistor Q3 is not suf-
(c) ficiently rapid.
U
The äí969A transistor meets the requirements
τa = (C1 + C2)Ra imposed by the circuit under consideration: collector
capacitance is 1.5 pF; typical collector leakage current,
τd 3 nA; upper cutoff frequency, 60 MHz; pulse current,
up to 200 mA; and collector voltage, up to 300 V. A
1 slight (~30 V) excess of the collector voltage in the cir-
cuit shown in Fig. 2 is considered permissible, since the
average current through the transistor is sufficiently
Fig. 1. (a) Simplified diagram of counter connection; (b) small and the power dissipated in the transistor is much
anode pulses; and (c) cathode pulse.
lower than its power-handling capability.
The signal triggering Q3 can be taken either from the
anode or from the cathode of the counter. When the
and the anode-voltage drop at the initial moment is counter operates, a positive pulse is generated at its
cathode. However, at the start of the Q3 operation, this
U 0 = I 0 ( R a + R ) ≅ 110 V. pulse is sharply terminated, making it difficult to gener-
ate the pulse that keeps the Q3 turned on. In contrast to
An overlap of the next two or three pulses with the this, the anode pulse increases upon Q3 operation. As
tail of the preceding pulse is sufficient to cause a con- the M1-1, we used a äê1533ãç1 inverter that has a
siderable increase in dead time. To control this situa- small delay time and a high input resistance, which pro-
tion, we increased the capacitance C2. For this case, the vides the M1-1 operation at the start of the discharge
parameters of the cathode signal are given in the table pulse, if the capacitance of the interstage capacitor is
in Fig. 1b; the shape of the anode signal is shown in the sufficiently small.
same figure by a dashed line. Owing to the increase in The tests of the circuit proposed for external
the ion current, the initial part of the anode pulse is par- quenching of the discharge showed that, upon operation
allel to the base line. The anode voltage is minimal at of the counter, the duration of the positive cathode

INSTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 45 No. 2 2002

 A CIRCUIT FOR EXTERNAL QUENCHING 177

+380 V
+3
1 kΩ
D3 20 kΩ
1 MΩ D2 M1-1 M1-2

1 1
2 pF Output

30 Ω
10 nF Q3
510 pF

3.3 MΩ 3.3 MΩ D1 1 kΩ
+50
Q1
Q2

510 kΩ 30 Ω 0.1µF

Fig. 2. Circuit for external quenching of the discharge: (M1) äê1533ãç1; (Q1, Q2) äí3107Ä (Å, Ç, É); (Q3) äí969Ä; and
(D1−D3) äÑ512Ä.

pulse decreased by a factor of ~10. The number of oscilloscope. The counter was irradiated by a 241Am

ions in the gas-discharge gap reduced accordingly source.

(the area of the part of the pulse determined by the
ion-withdrawal current also decreased by a factor of REFERENCES
~10). The recovery time of this circuit is determined 1. Filatov, A.I., Prib. Tekh. Eksp., 1976, no. 5, p. 73.
by the initial delay of 2–3 µs and by the time constant 2. Drndarevic, V., Bolic, M., Spasojevic, S., and Samat-
τ‡ = 6 µs. The shapes of the signals were observed, dzic, B., Prib. Tekh. Eksp., 1999, no. 1, p. 115.
and the signal parameters were evaluated using an 3. Mushev, R.K., Prib. Tekh. Eksp., 1985, no. 5, p. 61.

INSTRUMENTS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Vol. 45 No. 2 2002