The performance of a Thick-COBRA (THCOBRA) gaseous detector is studied using an optical readout technique. The operation principle of this device is described, highlighting its operation in a gas mixture of Ar/CF4 (80/20%) for visible scintillation light emission. The contributions to the total gain from the holes and the anode strips as a function of the applied bias voltage were visualized. The preservation of spatial information from the initial ionizations was demonstrated by analyzing the light emission from 5.9keV X-rays of an 55Fe source. The observed non-uniformity of the scintillation light from the holes supports the claim of a space localization accuracy better than the pitch of the holes. The acquired images were used to identify weak points and sources of instabilities in view of the development of new optimized structures.
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