Large Area Microchannel Plate Imaging Event Counting Detectors With Sub-Nanosecond Timing

Progress towards the development of a 20 cm sealed tube optical detector with imaging and photon event time stamping is presented. Novel microchannel plates employing borosilicate micro-capillary arrays have been tested. These provide many performance characteristics typical of conventional MCPs, but have been made in sizes up to 20 cm, have low intrinsic background (0.08 events cm
^-2
s
^-1
) and very stable gain behavior for at least 7 C cm
^-2
of charge extraction. Bialkali (Na
₂
KSb) photocathodes with >20% quantum efficiency have also been made on 20 cm borofloat-33 windows compatible with a large sealed tube device.