Microstrip gas chamber high-speed data acquisition system and method of measuring samples by use of the system

A method of measuring a sample, comprising the step of constructing a microstrip gas chamber high-speed data acquisition system including:

• discrimination circuits for binary conversion of signals from anode strips and back strips of a two-dimensional microstrip gas chamber;
• signal synchronizing circuits for converting binary asynchronous signals output from the discrimination circuits into clock-synchronized signals;
• data encoder circuits connected to the signal synchronizing circuits;
• an incident-particle hit judgment circuit connected to the data encoder circuits and operating such that when among a plurality of input signal lines for each of the vertical and horizontal axes a plurality of adjacent signal lines receive signals at the same timing, the incident-particle hit judgment circuit outputs a value corresponding to a signal line at the center of the adjacent signal lines, and when separated signal lines receive signals at the same timing, the incident-particle hit judgment circuit ignores the signals;
• a storage device connected to the incident-particle hit judgment circuit and adapted to store, for each event, the vertical and horizontal coordinates of an incident particle, the timing of incidence of the particle, the degree of spreading of output signals, and the energy of the incident particle obtained from an overall pulse height;
• and
• a computer connected to the storage device, wherein the two-dimensional microstrip gas chamber includes:
• a substrate formed of organic thin film having elasticity;
• anode strips and cathode strips formed on the substrate to be alternately arranged in parallel;
• a high voltage source for applying high voltage between the anode strips and the cathode strips;
• back strips formed on the lower face of the substrate to intersect the anode strips and the cathode strips;
• a drift plane disposed a predetermined distance away from the substrate;
• and
• a gas source for supplying a gas to be passed through a space between the surface of the substrate and the drift plane, wherein
• an X-ray beam is radiated onto a moving sample, and the process of fast changes of the sample is directly observed by X-ray diffraction.