Gated x-ray intensifier for large format simultaneous imaging

Some applications of gated x-ray imagers, pulsed x-ray spectroscopy, for example, benefit if image capture is simultaneous and gain is uniform over the frame. Simultaneity and uniformity are both improved when the voltage gate pulse propagation distance is as short as practical across the micro-channel-plate. This article describes a micro-channel-plate intensifier that captures a 40x100 mm(2) image in < 300 ps. A simple transmission line loss model is proposed to explain voltage loss across the micro-channel-plate. The voltage loss exponent was measured to be 0.05/cm +/- 20%, and used to predict spatial and temporal gain dependence. The spatial and temporal gain profile was measured in detail by capturing images of similar to 1 ps x-ray bursts created with a short pulse laser. The measured profile is consistent with that predicted using the loss model. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.