Preliminary results with microchannel array plates employing curved microchannels to inhibit ion feedback

Microchannel array plates employing curved microchannels to inhibit ion feedback have been obtained for the first time. These plates with J- and C-configuration microchannels have demonstrated performances comparable to those of conventional channel electron multipliers with saturated output pulse-height distributions and modal gain values in excess of 106 electrons/pulse. The present limitations of the plates are discussed and the improvements required to optimize the performance for photon-counting detection systems are described.