High-resolution imaging detector using five microchannel plates and a resistive anode encoder.

We have developed a high-resolution imaging detector with five microchannel plates (MCPs) in a set of V and Z stacks and a resistive anode encoder (RAE) for future space applications. In a position-sensitive system with a RAE, the spatial resolution depends on the signal-to-noise ratios at the anode terminals. Therefore, a high and stable electron gain of MCPs allows the position determination of each photoelectron event with a high spatial resolution. We investigated the effect of the potentials applied to the detector on the pulse height distribution (PHD) and the spatial resolution by means of calculations and experiments. The calculations showed that the negative interstack potential reduced the size of the electron cloud at the Z-stack input by approximately 80%. The result suggests that, under such a condition, the Z-stack MCP is operated in the completely saturated mode and exhibits a narrow PHD. On the other hand, in the measurements, applying the negative interstack potential reduced the width of the PHD by approximately 60%. As a result, the spatial resolution of 45 microm, corresponding to 480x480 pixels, was achieved. The results enable us to optimize and apply the technique to future missions.