Recent developments on next-generation microchannel plates for particle identification applications

Incom Inc. is developing and commercializing a novel type of microchannel plate (MCP) electron multipliers. These new devices are called “ALD-GCA-MCPs” and are made from glass capillary arrays (GCA), glass plates with a regular array of hollow glass capillaries that are functionalized using atomic layer deposition (ALD) thin film coating technology. ALD-GCA-MCPs are a technology advancement that affords MCPs with significantly improved performance, as compared to conventional MCPs. Notable benefits over conventional lead-oxide based MCPs are larger size, high and stable gain, low dark counts and gamma-ray sensitivity, improved mechanical stability, and the unique ability to tune the MCP resistance and electron amplification characteristics over a much wider range and independent from the glass substrate. Incom now routinely produces ALD-GCA-MCPs with 10 and 20 μm pore size at MCP dimensions up to 20 cm x 20 cm. The MCPs show a number of favorable characteristics, such as 3x lower gamma-ray sensitivity compared to conventional MPCs, low background (< 0.05 cts/s/cm2), and stable, high gains (<1×104 for single MCP and <1×107 for a chevron pair configuration, at 1000V/MCP). ALD-GCA-MCPs find use in a variety of photon counting applications and are particularly suited for charged particle detection that requires high timing and spatial resolution, such as Ion time-of-flight (TOF), electron spectroscopies, analytical and space instruments, and MCP-based photomultipliers such as the Large-Area Picosecond Photodetector (LAPPDTM), which is also being developed by Incom Inc. In this paper, we provide a brief technology overview highlighting the current state of the art of Incom’s ALD-GCA-MCP technology, as well as current and future development efforts that address the GCA glass substrate as well as the resistive and electron emissive ALD coatings.