INCOM, INC. — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 35b

Description

Micro-channel plates (MCPs) are used in high energy physics (HEP), homeland security, medical imaging, and space applications. They provide high gain, low noise, and unmatched spatial and temporal resolution. However, their high cost and availability in only relatively small sizes remains a critical barrier to their widespread use in these markets. In this program high-resolution micro-channel plates (MCPs) will be produced in 8 x 8 inch size, far larger than currently available MCPs. MCPs developed in this program will have high, uniform, and stable gain, and will leverage a key advantage of this technology: that MCPs can be made from glasses chosen to offer attributes such as greater physical durability and lower dark current. High spatial and temporal resolution is important for applications such as vertex separation and particle identification in ToF measurements as well as water Cherenkov counters and high-resolution sampling calorimeters. It will also benefit commercial applications such as detectors for mass spectrometers, PET scanners, and homeland security applications such as neutron detectors for cargo/vehicle inspection. The advancements made in this program will enable MCP technology to be applied to a much broader range of applications in these markets. Phase I accomplishments included demonstrations of high spatial and temporal resolution in 10 m pore MCPs made by this technology in 33 mm dia. formats, as well as a clear path for producing these MCPs in far larger sizes. The MCPs produced in Phase I had high, stable, uniform gains of 104 @ 800 V. In Phase II the processes for making these MCPs will be further developed and extended to the much larger 8 x 8 inch size. Gain performance will be optimized, and specific performance benefits will be achieved by constructing MCPs from alternate glasses. Large-area, high resolution MCPs will be provided to early adopters in support of application testing, including particle identification time-of-flight measurements at the Fermilab LArIAT beamline.