Achieving high spatial resolution using a microchannel plate detector with an economic and scalable approach

A second generation position-sensitive microchannel plate detector using the induced signal approach has been realized. This detector is presently capable of measuring the incident position of electrons, photons, or ions. To assess the spatial resolution, the masked detector was illuminated by electrons. The initial, measured spatial resolution of 276  μ μ m FWHM was improved by requiring a minimum signal amplitude on the anode and by employing digital signal processing techniques. The resulting measured spatial resolution of 119  μ μ m FWHM corresponds to an intrinsic resolution of 98  μ μ m FWHM when the effect of the finite slit width is de-convoluted. This measurement is a substantial improvement from the last reported spatial resolution of 466  μ μ m FWHM using the induced signal approach. To understand the factors that limit the measured resolution, the performance of the detector is simulated.