INCOM, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 01d

Description

Proliferation detection equipment requires deployment at remote, inaccessible sites and has to be able to operate over a rather wide temperature range. Scintillation light due to neutrons, gamma rays, or other indicators of nuclear material is typically detected with photon sensors based on photocathodes and microchannel-plate (MCP) amplifiers. Incom’s MCP technology uses an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process to impart resistive and emissive properties to Glass Capillary Array (GCA) substrates. This offers the unique opportunity of tuning the thermo-electrical properties of the resistive layer, which is not possible with conventional MCPs. We propose to develop MCPs with optimized resistive coatings that can operate at ultra-high count rates in high background environments, and across broad temperature ranges. This development will afford photodetectors that operate stably over a broad temperature range, and to enable “low- power” LAPPDs by using the low-TCR MCPs in low gain mode. In Phase I our work will be twofold; we will a) investigate alternative tunable resistance materials that exhibit improved TCR characteristics, b) evaluate the temperature range of operation and related performance limits of our current baseline MCP technology. From this we will develop a thermal budget model used to guide further (Phase-II) material research, coating optimization, and implementation of candidate materials into fully functional low-TCR MCPs. Other potential applications that would benefit from stable, high-dynamic range ALD-GCA-MCPs include a wide variety of sensors for space flight instrumentation, time-of-flight mass spectrometers, PET scanners, Proton radiography, as well as high-temperature (T ≥ 200° C) PMTs for mining and oil prospecting applications