title: Progress towards a 256 channel multi-anode microchannel plate photomultiplier system with picosecond timing.
abstract: Despite the rapid advances in solid state technologies such as the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), microchannel plate (MCP) photomultipliers still offer a proven and practical technological solution for high channel count pixellated photon-counting systems with very high time resolution. We describe progress towards a 256 channel optical photon-counting system using CERN-developed NINO and HTDC ASICs, and designed primarily for time resolved spectroscopy in life science applications. Having previously built and demonstrated a 18 mm diameter prototype tube with an 8×8 channel readout configuration and <43 ps rms single photon timing resolution, we are currently developing a 40 mm device with a 32×32 channel readout. Initially this will be populated with a 256 channel electronics system comprising four sets of modular 64 channel preamplifier/discriminator, and time-to-digital converter units, arranged in a compact three dimensional configuration. We describe the detector and electronics design and operation, and present performance measurements from the 256 channel development system. We discuss enhancements to the system including higher channel count and the use of application specific on-board signal processing capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lapington
authors.affiliation: Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: T J R
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.affiliation: Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Space Research Centre, University of Leicester, UK ; Photek Ltd., St. Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Conneely
keywords: fluorescence correlation spectroscopy; fluorescence lifetime imaging; high content; microchannel plate; multi-channel; photon counting detector; picosecond timing; single molecule imaging
references.citation: Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res A. 2012 Dec 11;695:78-82
references.pmid: 25843997