Micro-channel plate

From Free net encyclopedia

A micro-channel plate is a planar device which intensifies impinging radiation or subatomic particles by the multiplication of electrons via secondary emission. This multiplication takes place in small ("micro") channels under the presence of a strong electric field.

Micro-channel plates are made from highly resistive material of typically 2 mm thickness with etched channels of about 10 micrometres diameter densely distributed over the whole surface; the spacing is usually several tens of micrometres. Electrons which travel inside these channels scatter frequently and impinge on the channel walls producing more and more secondary electrons. This process amplifies the original signal by several orders of magnitude depending on the electric field strength and the geometry of the micro-channel plate.

It is used in the microchannel plate detector and was used in the fastest analogue oscilloscopes (for example, the Tektronix 7104).de:Mikrokanalplatte