Photostructured coating on a voltage degrader for a Time Projection Chamber (TPC)

Fibreglass-reinforced epoxy (Stesalit) tubes and rods were coated with a photostructured metal layer system of copper, nickel and gold for a voltage degrader built in a particle detector at CERN, Geneva. The metal layers were applied with galvanotechnical processes involving an original photolithographic exposure in three dimensions to produce a complex electrical circuit design able to provide the correct potential to 420 different conductors. The Stesalit substrate material, even after a first layer of electroless copper, is electrically quite resistive, creating problems for the electrodeposition of the subsequent nickel layer. A mathematical simulation of the plating thickness distribution showed that the electrolytic nickel deposition was suitable for short rods but electroless nickel was needed for the long rods. The functional properties of the metallized Stesalit components are satisfactory: no degradation of the gas quality within the Time Projection Chamber is observed; the potential distribution along the field cage is precise and, under electric fields exceeding 10 kV/cm, the leakages are below 10 nA, indicating very low microdischarge and corona effects.