Nanosecond-gating properties of proximity-focused microchannel-plate image intensifiers
Some fundamental properties of 18-mm-diam gated proximity-focussed microchannel-plate (MCP) image intensifiers used as fast image shutters in the 1 to 10 ns range have been identified and studied. Light pulses (approx. 5 ps wide) from a modelocked dye laser optically sample the gated MCP. Shuttering is achieved by applying a forward-biasing electrical gate pulse to the quiescently reverse-biased photocathode-MCP interface. Variable delay (approx. 30 ps jitter) between the gate pulse and the laser pulse permits tracing the MCP's optical response. Gating speeds, turn-on and turn-off patterns, the asymmetric spatial dependence of the MCP optical response, and resolution effects as functions of gate pulse width and photocathode-MCP bias have been characterized. Shutter times of >750 ps with approx. 5 1p/mm resolution were observed. Variations in the intensity profiles of the phosphor's spatial response for uniform photocathode illumination are measured with a calibrated silicon-intensified-target (SIT) focus projection, scan (FPS) television camera and a high-speed video digitizer while photomultipliers monitor the laser pulse and the phosphor's spatially integrated output intensities. The characterization system, gating and biasing circuits, and experimental results will be presented.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA); EG and G, Inc., Santa Barbara, CA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6505296
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-81-1126; CONF-810429-18
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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