This chapter focuses on the intense developments of micropattern detectors that happened between 1998 and 2003. In this period, many new designs were invented and manufactured by means of a photolithographic technology. These detectors include microwire detectors, microslit detectors, LEAK multiplication structures, microgap parallel-plate chambers, micro-hole strip plate gaseous detectors, etc. Some of them remain simply as interesting exercises demonstrating the great capability of microelectronic technique. Some of them are used in practice, for example in 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional mammographic scanners. These scanners are based on microgap parallel-plate chambers and give high quality X-ray images at a reduced radiation dose delivered to the patients. Early versions of the LEAK detector were intensively used in plasma diagnostics. Micro-hole strip plate gaseous detectors are currently used in some prototypes of photodetectors. This chapter also describes an MSGC type MWPC invented by Charpak et al. in an attempt to overcome the problems associate with the MSGC (i.e. charging up effects and poor rate characteristics).
Recent advances in X-ray detection with micro-hole and strip plate detector