SBIR Phase I: New Ceramic Sub-Microchannel Plates

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目提出了先进的高分辨率陶瓷微通道板（MCP）的开发。MCP用于许多类型的天体物理学光子探测器，以及科学仪器，医学成像和夜视设备。传统的玻璃纤维MCP技术在空间和时间分辨率、固定模式噪声、高计数率能力、热性能、产量和再现性、稳定性和寿命方面已经达到了其基本极限，无法满足当前和未来许多天文光谱学和成像仪器的要求。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，用纳米结构陶瓷制造亚微通道板（s-MCP），具有以前无法实现的形态，使通道直径低于1微米，开口面积比接近90%。所提出的工作的预期结果是一种用于生产具有更好性能、更长寿命和更低成本的商业上可行的亚微通道板增强器的制造技术。这可能为红外、紫外、x射线和伽马射线天体物理学应用的下一代粒子和光子探测系统的开发带来新的机会。

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.