Micro-Channel Plate Detectors Based on Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon

A new type of micro-channel plate detector based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon is proposed which overcomes the fabrication and performance issues of glass or bulk silicon ones. This new type of detectors consists in 80-100 μm thick layers of amorphous silicon which are micro-machined by deep reactive ion etching to form the channels. This paper focuses on the structure and fabrication process and presents first results obtained with test devices on electron detection which demonstrate amplification effects. Fabrication and performance issues are also discussed.