Bulk-conductive microchannel plates and enhanced image intensifier

Bulk-conductive microchannel plates (MCPs) made of semiconducting glasses have peculiar characteristics such as slant electric field within microchannels, electron gain obtained under non-saturated condition up to higher bias voltage, as well as long service life and high signal-to-noise ratio without positive ion feedback during operation. The glass-formation region and properties of semiconducting glasses for making bulk-conductive MCPs have been discussed. Night vision devices with bulk-conductive MCPs are enhanced image intensifiers due to avoiding the electron scrubbing pre-treatment which remarkably reduces the electron gain of conventional MCPs. A thickened piece of bulk-conductive MCP, operated at higher voltage to obtain higher electron gain, can be used as substitution of V- or Z-stack assembly of conventional MCP for photon counting.