Development of UV imaging detectors with atomic layer deposited microchannel plates and cross strip readouts

Abstract

Microchannel plate based detectors are widely used for photon counting spectroscopy and imaging in astronomical, high energy physics and remote sensing applications^1-15. We present progress in the development of imaging cross strip readout detectors using novel microchannel plates functionalized by atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD microchannel plates have established formats of 10 cm with 10 μm pore sizes and 20 cm with 20 μm pores. ALD MCPs show with high quantum efficiency (>50% @115 nm) using opaque alkali halide photocathodes and very low background levels (0.05 events cm^-2) have been achieved. Readout systems have also evolved and now cross-strip anodes and encoding electronics enable high spatial resolution (<20 μm) at low gain (10⁶) and over large formats (10 cm) with high dynamic range (>5 MHz). These characteristics are essential for UV instrument concepts currently under study for NASA including the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR)¹⁶, the Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HABEX)¹⁶, and Cosmic Evolution Through UV Spectroscopy (CETUS)¹⁶.