Electron drift velocities in fast Argon and CF4 based drift gases

98-063 Electron drift velocities in gas mixtures were measured in a tabletop experiment using a nitrogen laser to create the primary electrons. The maximum drift times for electrons in a 5 mm (10 mm) honeycomb drift cell at 2200 V anode voltage were 28 ns (53 ns) and 21 ns (61 ns) for Ar-Cf4-CH4 (75/18/6) and Ar-CF4-CO2 (68/27/5), respectively. Changing the ratio of the latter mix did not change the drift velocity very much. The gains of the gases are ~10^4 for a single primary electron. CF4 causes electron attachment. The measured drift times agree well with GARFIELD simulations.