A NEW APPROACH TO LARGE AREA MICROCHANNEL PLATE MANUFACTURE

HIGH GAIN, LARGE AREA MICROCHANNEL PLATES (MCP) PRESENTLY ARE LIMITED IN BOTH CAPABILITIES AND SIZE BY THE PRESENT MEANS OF MANUFACTURE. THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THAT THE COMPLEXITY OF SHEARING TO CURVE THE INDIVIDUAL CHANNELS INCREASES AS THE SIZE REQUIREMENTS INCREASE. BY A UNIQUE NEW MEANS OF MANUFACTURE, DETECTOR TECHNOLOGY, INC., PROJECTS THAT OPERATIONAL LIMITATIONS WILL BE ELIMINATED. OUR METHODS OF CURVING THE CHANNELS TO PREVENT ION FEEDBACK WILL NOT BE A FACTOR IN LIMITING THE MCP SIZE, OR INDEED THE SHAPE AND WILL ALSO BE A FACTOR IN INCREASING YIELDS AND THUS REDUCING COSTS. AN ENGINEERING PROGRAM HAS ALREADY BEEN CARRIED OUT YIELDINGRESULTS ON STANDARD 18MM ACTIVE AREA MCP WHICH SHOWS THE METHOD HAS MERIT. PHASE I OF THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE REQUIREDTO PERFECT TECHNIQUES OF MANUFACTURE TO A POINT WHERE A VERY FUNCTIONAL MACROCHANNEL PLATE IS A MANUFACTURING PRACTICALITY. PHASE II WOULD BE REQUIRED TO EXPAND THIS CAPABILITY TO HIGHER RESOLUTION AND LARGER MCP SIZES.