Application of atomic layer deposited microchannel plates to imaging photodetectors with high time resolution

Abstract

Novel microchannel plates have been constructed using borosilicate glass micro-capillary array substrates with 20µm and 10µm pores and coated with resistive, and secondary electron emissive, layers by atomic layer deposition. Microchannel plates in 33mm, 50mm and 20cm square formats have been made and tested. Although their amplification, imaging, and timing properties are comparable to standard glass microchannel plates, the background rates and lifetime characteristics are considerably improved. Sealed tube detectors based on the Planacon tube, and a 25mm cross delay line readout tube with a GaN(Mg) opaque photocathode deposited on borosilicate microchannel plates have been fabricated. Considerable progress has also been made with 20cm microchannel plates for a 20cm format sealed tube sensor with strip-line readout that is being developed for Cherenkov light detection.