Optical Shutters Using Microchannel Plate (MCP) Intensifier Tubes

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Abstract
Optical shutters with exposure times approaching 1 ns have been achieved by gating either the photocathode or the microchannel plate of 18-mm proximity-focused microchannel plate intensifier tubes. We present measurements of the shutter performance, including the total optical gate, uniformity vs time, resolution, linearity, and dynamic range, for a number of intensifier tubes under various types of pulsing configurations. Properties of intensifier tubes related to fast gating and limitations on the gating speed imposed by the intensifier tube geometry are discussed. We also give results with a specially modified intensifier in which all but a 3 mm x 18 mm portion of the photocathode was masked off by an opaque metallic undercoating, along with preliminary results of gating third-generation (GaAs photocathode) intensifier tubes. A characterization procedure used to evaluate the performance of each optical shutter is discussed, along with a review of fast electrical pulsers suitable for gating intensifier tubes.

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