SBIR Phase I: New Ceramic Sub-Microchannel Plates

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目建议开发先进的高分辨率陶瓷微通道板(MCP)。MCP用于许多类型的天体物理光子探测器，以及科学仪器、医学成像以及低视和夜视设备。传统的玻璃纤维MCP技术在空间和时间分辨率、固定图案噪声、高计数率能力、热性能、产量和重复性、稳定性和寿命方面已经达到了其基本极限，无法支持许多当前和未来的天文光谱和成像仪器的需求。需要替代技术来克服这些限制。该公司提出了一种创新的方法来制造亚微通道板(S-MCP)，由纳米结构陶瓷制成，具有以前无法实现的形态，使通道直径小于1微米，开放面积比接近90%。这项工作的预期结果是提供了一种制造性能更好、寿命更长、成本更低、具有商业可行性的亚微通道平板增强器的制造技术。这可能为开发用于红外、紫外线、X射线和伽马射线天体物理应用的下一代粒子和光子探测系统开辟新的量子飞跃的机会。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes the development of advanced high-resolution ceramic micro-channel plates (MCPs). MCPs are used in many types of astrophysics photon detectors, as well as in scientific instrumentation, medical imaging and in low- and night vision devices. Requirements of many current and future astronomical spectroscopy and imaging instruments cannot be supported by conventional glass-fiber MCP technology that has reached its fundamental limits in spatial and temporal resolution, fixed pattern noise, high count rate capabilities, thermal performance, yield and reproducibility, stability and lifetime. Alternative technologies are needed to overcome these limitations. The company proposes an innovative approach to fabricate sub-microchannel plates (s-MCPs) from nanostructured ceramic with previously unachievable morphology, enabling channel diameter below 1 micrometer and open area ratio approaching 90%. The expected result of the proposed work is a manufacturing technology for production of commercially viable sub-micro-channel plate intensifiers with better performance, longer lifetime and lower cost. This could open up new opportunities for a quantum leap in the development of the next generation particle and photon detection systems for the infrared, UV, x-ray and gamma ray astrophysics applications.