Microchannel plate detector technology potential for LUVOIR and HabEx
Citation
Siegmund, O. H. W., Ertley, C., Vallerga, J. V., Schindhelm, E. R., Harwit, A., Fleming, B. T., France, K. C., Green, J. C., McCandliss, S. R., & Harris, W. M. (2017). Microchannel plate detector technology potential for LUVOIR and HabEx. In UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX (Vol. 10397, p. 1039711). International Society for Optics and Photonics.
The article can be accessed at this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2274281 (as of June 30, 2024).
The article was published in the journal "UV, X-RAY, AND GAMMA-RAY SPACE INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASTRONOMY XX." It was part of the proceedings of SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, a conference held in San Diego, California in 2017.
Keywords
- Microchannel Plate
- Imaging
- Photon Counting
Brief
Microchannel plate (MCP) detector technology, which offers advantages like high spatial resolution and photon counting, is being advanced for potential use in future NASA missions like LUVOIR and HabEx through the development of novel borosilicate glass MCPs, high quantum efficiency photocathodes, and cross-strip anodes.
Summary
Microchannel plate (MCP) detectors are a proven technology used in ultraviolet (UV) space instruments. They have many advantages such as high resolution, photon counting, radiation hardness, large formats and the ability to be curved. This article explores how emerging MCP technologies, such as novel borosilicate glass MCPs with atomic layer deposition and cross-strip anodes, may benefit future UV instruments such as those on the proposed Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR) and Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HABEX).