Graves, Peter W. | Engineering Papers

NASA NTRS1988

Performance characteristics of a new helical-channel microchannel plate

An advanced version of the 'helical-channel' microchannel plate (MCP) is presented. This MCP is composed of four channels per fiber with each channel having a diameter of 50 microns. The dynamic range, pulse-height distribution, and gain characteristics of this MCP are discussed. It is found that increasing the twist density of the channels makes it possible to increase the detection efficiency and further improve the suppression of ion-feedback providing a tighter saturated pulse-height distribution and improved high-voltage characteristics.

Slater, David C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The off-axis channel macroplate

High-gain microchannel plates (MCPs) which utilize curvature of the channel to inhibit ion feedback (C-plate MCRs) have demonstrated excellent performance characteristics. However, C-plate MCPs are at present costly to fabricate, and the shearing process used to curve the channels produces a low device yield. Described here is a totally new type of high-gain MCP structure in which each channel has an axially symmetric curvature. Initial tests of proof-of-concept units of these MCPs with 75-micron-diameter channels (macroplates) suggest that their performance characteristics have the potential to be equal to those of a C-plate MCP while the fabrication process is no more complex than that of a conventional straight-channel MCP.

Timothy, J. Gethyn↗