An MCP assembly of this embodiment is provided with an MCP unit and a flexible sheet electrode having a structure for facilitating handling thereof as a single body. The flexible sheet electrode is constituted by a mesh area provided with plural openings and a deformation suppressing portion surrounding the mesh area. Both the mesh area and the deformation suppressing portion are comprised of the same conductive material, and physical strength of the deformation suppressing portion is higher than that of the mesh area. With this configuration, the physical strength of an entire flexible sheet electrode is secured even if an opening ratio of the mesh area is increased, so that the handling of the flexible sheet electrode as a single body is facilitated.

A night vision system along with an image intensifier tube having a microchannel plate and method of forming the microchannel plate are provided. The microchannel plate comprises a plurality of spaced channels extending through the microchannel plate, wherein each channel sidewall surface near the input face of the microchannel plate comprises a series of layers formed thereon. The input face of the microchannel plate, as well as the sidewall surfaces of each channel near the input surfaces, are configured with an electron backscatter layer arranged between a contact metal layer and a secondary electron booster layer. When formed partially into the channel openings near the input face, the electron backscatter layer and overlying secondary electron booster layer are configured circumferentially around the sidewall surfaces and extend radially inward toward a central axis of each channel.

An MCP detector (620) receives an ion packet along an ion path (601) of mass spectrometer through a hollow central cylindrical tube (621) of the MCP detector. The MCP detector includes coaxial rings (622) of MCPs surrounding the hollow central cylindrical tube. The MCP detector transmits the ion packet along the ion path to an ELIT (610) through holes in the center of a first set of reflectron plates (613) of the ELIT to oscillate the ion packet between the first set and a second set of reflectron plates (614) of the ELIT. The ELIT transmits the oscillated ion packet back to the MCP detector along the ion path through the holes of the first set. The MCP detector detects ions of the oscillated ion packet that are radially deflected from the ion path using the rings of MCPs. The MCP detector allows ions to be transmitted to or from either port of the ELIT.

The present embodiment relates to an electron multiplier having a structure configured to suppress and stabilize a variation of a resistance value in a wider temperature range. The electron multiplier includes a resistance layer sandwiched between a substrate and a secondary electron emitting layer and configured using a Pt layer two-dimensionally formed on a layer formation surface which is coincident with or substantially parallel to a channel formation surface of the substrate. The resistance layer has a temperature characteristic within a range in which a resistance value at −60° C. is 10 times or less, and a resistance value at +60° C. is 0.25 times or more, relative to a resistance value at a temperature of 20° C.

A microchannel sensor for detecting radiation and/or particles, the microchannel sensor comprising at least one sensor substrate, wherein said sensor substrate comprises a plurality of channels extending from a first side of the substrate to an opposite side of the substrate, wherein said channels are arranged along a channel axis which is tilted relative a normal axis of said substrate, and wherein said plurality of channels comprise a first set of channels with a first cross section and a second set of channels with a second cross section being different from said first cross section.

An elementary particle detector including first sensors able to measure an amount of electric charge on electrodes of a readout plate and a processing unit able to determine the location of an avalanche of secondary electrons from the amount of electric charge measured by the first sensors and from the known location of the electrodes. The detector also includes at least one second sensor, each second sensor being able to measure an electrical signal produced by the secondary electrons when they pass through a conductive gate. The processing unit is additionally able to establish an arrival time of the elementary particle from a time at which the electrical signal is measured by the second sensor.

A detection device for detecting charges particles. The active area of the detector extends along a principal direction over several centimeters and up to 1 meter or more. This allows for its use as a focal plane detector for a mass spectrometer device, allowing to record all mass-to-charge ratios provided by the spectrometer in parallel and within a reduced acquisition time.

An elementary particle detector including first sensors able to measure an amount of electric charge on electrodes of a readout plate and a processing unit able to determine the location of an avalanche of secondary electrons from the amount of electric charge measured by the first sensors and from the known location of the electrodes. The detector also includes at least one second sensor, each second sensor being able to measure an electrical signal produced by the secondary electrons when they pass through a conductive gate. The processing unit is additionally able to establish an arrival time of the elementary particle from a time at which the electrical signal is measured by the second sensor.

Disclosed herein are lead free glass compositions having, in some embodiments, SiO.sub.2 from 25 wt % to 60 wt %, Al.sub.2O.sub.3 from 0 wt % to 20 wt %, B.sub.2O.sub.3 from 0 wt % to 35 wt %, ZrO.sub.2 from 0 wt % to 5 wt %, Li.sub.2O from 5 wt % to 17 wt %, Na.sub.2O from 3 wt % to 10 wt %, K.sub.2O from 1 wt % to 10 wt %, R.sub.2O from 0 wt % to 20 wt %, wherein R.sub.2O is an alkaline earth oxide, ZnO from 0 wt % to 15 wt %, and 0 wt % lead.

A night vision system along with an image intensifier tube and method for shuttering the continued draw of electrons from an electron multiplier are provided. The night vision system includes the electron multiplier, or possibly two electron multipliers, each comprising a silicon membrane. A shutter voltage is applied between a first surface and a substantially parallel, opposed second surface of the silicon membrane to discontinue draw of electrons through the electron multiplier and for substantially discontinuing display of an image from the image intensifier tube under certain bright light conditions. Utilizing a global shutter control on the electron multiplier, and the significantly lower voltage for such control mitigates power consumption within the image intensifier, as well as electromagnetic interference and delay response time. A relatively low voltage negative bias shutter voltage on only the electron multiplier selectively provides global shutter to the image intensifier device.