Fast imaging readout and electronics - a novel high-speed imaging system for micro-channel plates

The band-width of charge division readout anodes used with micro-channel plates (MCP) is usually limited by the speed of the acquisition electronics. We present a novel charge division anode that does not require analogue to digital conversion. The Fast Imaging Readout and Electronics is a new concept in high-speed imaging using an MCP detector. The imaging system described comprises an MCP intensifier coupled to a charge division image readout using highspeed, multichannel electronics. It has a projected spatial resolution of up to 128 x 128 pixels, though the image format is inherently flexible, and the potential for rates up to 100 million events per second with nanosecond timing resolution. The readout pattern has a planar electrode structure and the collected charge from each event is shared amongst all electrodes, grouped in pairs. The unique design of the readout obviates the need for charge measurement, usually the dominant process determining the event-processing deadtime. Instead, high-speed signal comparators, each of which act on the signals from an electrode pair, are used to define a binary code from which the position co-ordinate is directly mapped. We describe a proof of the concept of prototype anode and associated electronics using a novel application of very high-speed digital circuitry. We present preliminary results showing signal waveforms measured using a one-dimensional 16-pixel anode pattern. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.