Speaker
Description
Microchannel Plates (MCPs) are used in many applications, including in Cherenkov and scintillation detectors. There are several characteristics that need to be considered when designing MCPs for such applications. The time resolution and gain are two important characteristics that affect the ability to measure a pulse and the time between interactions that can be measured.
MCPs have many geometric and electric parameters that affect the time resolution and gain, including the length to diameter ratio (L/D), bias angle and potential applied across the MCP. Many of these parameters have been extensively investigated experimentally, however manufacturing new designs of MCPs to test these further is an extremely complex process.
We have developed a simulation of an MCP and have previously demonstrated how this can be used to analyse the gain and timing resolution of an MCP with varying parameters. These results have all been for a single MCP and with no external fields present. These simulation results have been extremely valuable in demonstrating the relationship between different parameters.
Experimentally however, there is often an external magnetic field that needs to be considered. Magnetic fields affect the trajectories of the electrons travelling through the MCPs and will therefore affect the total electron output. We present our model of the MCP with external magnetic fields of varying direction and field strength applied to see how this effects the gain, time resolution and electron trajectories.
It's also common to see MCPs arranged in chevron or Z arrangements to obtain high gains with minimal aging and saturation effects of the individual components. There will be additional variation in electron trajectories, and therefore reduced time resolution, with each stage of the electron multiplication device. We present the results of multi-stage MCP simulations using different simulation methods.
