Rate capability and magnetic field tolerance measurements of fast timing microchannel plate photodetectors

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the rate capability and magnetic field tolerance of advanced microchannel plate photodetectors designed for particle detection, demonstrating stability up to specific rates and magnetic fields.

Contribution

It provides experimental measurements of the performance limits of next-generation microchannel plate photodetectors under high rate and magnetic field conditions.

Findings

Gain stability up to 75 kHz/cm² rate

Magnetic field tolerance up to 4 Tesla

Performance varies with magnetic field and orientation

Abstract

Microchannel plate photodetectors provide both picosecond time resolution and sub-millimeter position resolution, making them attractive photosensors for particle identification detectors of a future U.S. Electron Ion Collider. We have tested the rate capability and magnetic field tolerance of 6$\times$6 cm$^{2}$ microchannel plate photodetectors fabricated at Argonne National Laboratory. The microchannel plate photodetector is designed as a low-cost all-glass vacuum package with a chevron pair stack of next-generation microchannel plates functionalized by atomic layer deposition. The rate capability test was performed using Fermilab's 120 GeV primary proton beam, and the magnetic field tolerance test was performed using a solenoid magnetic with tunable magnetic field strength up to 4 Tesla. The measured gain of the microchannel plate photodetector is stable up to 75 kHz/cm$^{2}$, and varies depending on the applied magnetic field strength and the rotation angle relative to the magnetic field direction.