Microchannel plate life tests

We have investigated the manner in which the gain of a microchannel plate (MCP) changes as the plate is operated at moderate output currents. We find that the total charge per unit area Q (C-cm(-2)) extracted from the MCP is the relevant quantity for evaluating the performance of the MCP. The shape of the gain vs Q curve may contain important information on the gain decay process. The MCP's showed no long periods of stable gain similar to those frequently exhibited by channeltrons.