Micro-channel plate
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A micro-channel plate is a planar device which intensifies impinging radiation or particles by multiplication of electrons in small channels under the presence of a high electric field. Micro-channel plates are made from highly resistive material of typically 2 mm thickness with etched channels of about 10 micrometres diameter distributed over the whole surface with spacings of several tens of micrometres. Electrons which travel inside these channels scatter frequently with the channel walls producing more and more secondary electrons. This process amplifies the original signal by several orders of magnitude depending on the electric field strength and the geometry of the micro-channel plate.