A photoionization detector comprised of a sensor having at least a collector electrode (304) and a grounding electrode (306), a gas discharge lamp that ionizes molecules of interest to create ionized molecules and electrons, and an amplifier connected to the collector electrode. Each of the collector electrode and the grounding electrode include a feed-thru pin (308, 310), an inner trace surrounding the feed-thru pin (312, 314), an outer trace surrounding the inner trace (320, 322), wherein the outer trace on each electrode is comprised of the same material, a channel between the inner trace and the outer trace (316, 318), wherein the channel is comprised of a different material than the outer trace and the inner trace, and a bridge connecting the outer trace with the inner trace (324, 326). The ionized molecules are collectable by a bias electrode (302) and electrons are collectable by the collector electrode.