Abstract-A new class of radiation detectors has been conceived and demonstrated using plasma panel TV-set technology for direct conversion of ionizing radiation to freeelectrons and a gaseous media for electron amplification with a gain of approximately 10 11 . For the basic configuration, a native pixel resolution of 10 m appears feasible, with a pixel response time of 1 s or faster, and a manufacturing cost of less than $1 per square inch for detector and electronics. New structures under consideration suggest the possibility that the plasma panel detector could be a transformational technology with low cost, large area, high spatial and temporal resolution, and potentially high efficiency, high energy spectral resolution and high neutron/gamma-ray discrimination.

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A radiation detector based on plasma display panel technology, which is the principal component of plasma television displays is presented. Plasma Panel Sensor (PPS) technology is a variant of micropattern gas radiation detectors. The PPS is conceived as an array of sealed plasma discharge gas cells which can be used for fast response (0(5ns) per pixel), high spatial resolution detection (pixel pitch can be less than 100 micrometer) of ionizing and minimum ionizing particles. The PPS is assembled from non-reactive, intrinsically radiation-hard materials: glass substrates, metal electrodes and inert gas mixtures. We report on the PPS development program, including simulations and design and the first laboratory studies which demonstrate the usage of plasma display panels in measurements of cosmic ray muons, as well as the expansion of experimental results on the detection of betas from radioactive sources.

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Gadolinium has long been investigated as a detector for neutrons. It has a thermal neutron capture cross-section that is unparalleled among stable elements, because of the isotopes 155,157 Gd. As a replacement for 3 He, gadolinium has a significant defect, it produces many gamma-rays with an energy sum of 8 MeV. It also produces conversion electrons, mostly 29 keV in energy. The key to replacing 3 He with gadolinium is using a gamma-blind electron detector to detect the conversion electrons. We suggest that coupling a layer of gadolinium to a Plasma Panel Sensor (PPS) can provide highly efficient, nearly gamma-blind detection of the conversion. The PPS is a proposed detector under development as a dense array of avalanche counters based on plasma display technology. We will present simulations of the response of prototypes of this detector and considerations of the use of gadolinium in the PPS.