Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik Abteilung Astronomie Sand 1, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany

Preprint 02/18

MCP detector development for UV space missions

Lauro Conti (1), Jürgen Barnstedt (1), Lars Hanke (1), Christoph Kalkuhl (1), Norbert Kappelmann (1), Thomas Rauch (1), Beate Stelzer (1), Klaus Werner (1), Hans-Rudolf Elsener (2) and Daniel M. Schaadt (3)

(1) Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik (IAAT), Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, Tübingen, Germany
(2) Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 129, Dübendorf, Switzerland
(3) Institute of Energy Research and Physical Technologies, Clausthal University of Technology, Leibnizstraße 4, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

Conti, L., Barnstedt, J., Hanke, L. et al. Astrophys Space Sci (2018) 363: 63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-018-3283-4

Abstract. We are developing imaging and photon counting UV-MCP detectors, which are sensitive in the wavelength range from far ultraviolet to near ultraviolet. A good quantum efficiency, solar blindness and high spatial resolution is the aim of our development. The sealed detector has a Cs-activated photoactive layer of GaN (or similarly advanced photocathode), which is operated in semitransparent mode on (001)-MgF₂ . The detector comprises a stack of two long-life MCPs and a coplanar cross strip anode with advanced readout electronics. The main challenge is the flawless growth of the GaN photocathode layer as well as the requirements for the sealing of the detector, to prevent a degradation of the photocathode. We present here the detector concept and the experimental setup, examine in detail the status in the production and describe the current status of the readout electronics development.
 
Key words: UV microchannel plate (MCP) detectors, front-end electronics for detector readout, cross strip anode, BEETLE chip, gallium nitride photocathode

Preprint (439 kb PDF file including figures)
Astrophysics (astro-ph): 1803.02895

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