Fast position and time resolved read-out of micro-channelplates with the delay-line technique for single particle and photon detection

Based on delay-line read-out methods of micro-channelplate (MCP) stacks we develop imaging systems for single particle and photon spectroscopy. A complete system consists of an open MCP-detector with helical wire anode, specially designed front-end electronics ("black box" containing signal de-coupling circuits, amplifiers and discriminators) and a standalone PC-based TDC-system. We achieve a position resolution better than 0.1 mm and excellent linearity for open dimensions up to 100 mm, multi-hit operation (up to 4 particles with dead-time of 10-15 nanosec each hit), and detection rates up to 20 kiloEvents/sec in an event-listing mode or over 1 MegaCount/sec in a histogram mode (single hit). Both modes allow two-dimensional position and time-of-flight (TOF) spectroscopy with approximately 1 nanosec TOF resolution ("3D-imaging"). Furthermore, we currently test a delay-line anode on printed circuit that operates with image charge pick-up from a high-resistive collecting anode. With an image charge detection method this 3D-imaging technique can be applied to commercial sealed MCP single-photon detectors. While a simple high-resistive collection anode is placed inside the tube, a position sensitive pick-up electrode can be mounted next to it outside the vacuum wall.