Progress in Anodic Aluminum Oxide Microchannel Plates

Microchannel plates(MCP) are advanced electron multiplier devices,which are widely used in low-light-level night vision and other fields.The traditional lead silicate glass microchannel plates(LSG-MCP) are increasingly unable to meet the requirements of small diameter,high resolution and environment-friendness,so it is necessary to find some novel alternative materials and technology,such as anodic aluminum oxide microchannel plates(AAO-MCP).This paper describes the research progress of the AAO-MCP in details,including the characteristics of the porous AAO,the forming of microchannel,functional film preparation and computer simulation.AAO-MCP has some advantages,such as smaller channel diameter,large area,low sensitivity to strong magnetic field,and wide operating temperature range.Finally,the most difficult problems in AAO-MCP and the development in the future are presented.