Future developments in MCP technology

by Dr Sergey Smirnov (FLEROV LABORATORY of NUCLEAR REACTIONS JINR Dubna)

Tuesday 14 Feb 2012, 11:00 → 11:30 Europe/Rome

Tandem (INFN-LNL)

The developments in MCP technology which are under active investigation at this time: 1) Thick (5-10 mm) channel plates for enhanced efficiency in gamma-ray imaging applications. Galileo has fabricated such plates with efficiencies of 25% at energies just below the K absorption edge of lead at 88 keV. The plates are capable of space charge saturation, and have been tested as the front element in a Chevron. 2) Funneling of the input channels. This increases the open area ratio from 55% to 90% and allows a proportional increase in electron collection efficiencies when thin films are used over the input electrode of the MCP. The latter are used to suppress positive ion feedback to highly sensitive photocathodes. 3) High strip current MCPs. This of course allows operation at even higher count rates because of the concomitant reduction in channel recovery time. 4) MCPs with channel diameters of 8 mm or less. Such plates will be capable of higher spatial and temporal resolution. Finally, it is worth noting that MCPs can be fabricated in a wide range of geometric formats, both circular and rectangular. 127 mm diameter MCPs have been "slumped" to a spherical curve, and annular MCPs have been made to encompass an accelerator beam. The possibilities for such variations are virtually limitless.