PHOTONIS announces new long-life, low-noise microchannel plates

PHOTONIS USA, a leading electro-optic manufacturer, announced the addition of a new long-life, low-noise (L3N) performance option, which is now available across its entire microchannel plate (MCP) line. The new L3N option offers up to a one hundred-fold reduction in background noise when compared to traditional MCPs. Any MCP made by PHOTONIS USA can now be ordered with this new low-noise performance option.

The new low-noise option is ideal for applications where the background noise of the specific application is currently lower than the detector noise. Recent tests confirmed that, at 0.01 counts/second/cm2, the L3N MCP dark count level approaches the background level of cosmic rays. L3N MCPs had previously been developed by PHOTONIS as a custom product, and has been deployed in a number of space exploration missions, including the Chandler X-Ray Telescope. Other applications include low-level imaging and high energy physics research.

The L3N option is also being made available on any currently manufactured product by PHOTONIS which contains MCPs, including items such as specialty stripline MCPs, advanced performance detectors and time-of-flight detectors. The long-life, low-noise performance option must be specified at time of order.