Dual low vacuum-ultrahigh vacuum system for large-scale production of micro-channel plate photomultipliers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11715616-B2
Application number	US-202017082292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for the batch production of large numbers of highly uniform multichannel-plate photomultiplier tubes (MCP-PMTs) for large-scale applications are provided. The systems and methods employ dual, nested low-vacuum (LV) and UHV processing in a rapid-cycling, small-footprint, scalable, batch-production facility that is capable of fabricating many MCP-PMTs simultaneously.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for fabricating a plurality of microchannel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT) detectors, the system comprising:
a low-vacuum vessel comprising a housing and a seal, wherein the housing and the seal define an interior volume;
a low-vacuum pumping system comprising at least one pump connected to the low-vacuum vessel, the low-vacuum pumping system configured to evacuate the interior volume of the low-vacuum vessel to a pressure in the range from 10 −5 to 10 −8 Torr;
a plurality of detector modules contained within the low-vacuum vessel, each detector module comprising:
a window;
a base, wherein the window and the base define an internal volume of the detector module; and
a microchannel-plate photomultiplier tube detector disposed within the internal volume of the detector module;

one or more heaters in thermal communication with the detector modules;
an ultrahigh-vacuum manifold connected to the internal volumes of the detector modules; and
an ultrahigh-vacuum system comprising at least one pump connected to the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold, the ultrahigh-vacuum system configured to evacuate the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold to a pressure of 10 −9 Torr or lower.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the seal is an elastomeric O-ring or an elastomeric gasket.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an alkali metal vapor source connected to the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold and configured to introduce an alkali metal vapor into the internal volumes of the detector modules.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inert gas source connected to the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold and configured to introduce an inert gas into the internal volumes of the detector modules; and
a residual gas analyzer connected to the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold and configured to sample gases present in the internal volumes of the detector modules.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of detector modules comprises at least 100 detector modules.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of detector modules comprises at least 500 detector modules.

7. A method for fabricating a plurality of microchannel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT) detectors using a system comprising:
a low-vacuum vessel comprising a housing and a seal, wherein the housing and the seal define an interior volume;
a low-vacuum pumping system comprising at least one pump connected to the low-vacuum vessel;
a plurality of detector modules contained within the low-vacuum vessel, each detector module comprising:
a window;
a base, wherein the window and the base define an internal volume of the detector module; and
a microchannel-plate photomultiplier tube detector disposed within the internal volume of the detector module;

one or more heaters in thermal communication with the detector modules;
an ultrahigh-vacuum manifold connected to the internal volumes of the detector modules; and
an ultrahigh-vacuum system comprising at least one pump connected to the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold,
the method comprising:
placing solder into a gap between the window and the base of the detector modules or adjacent to a gap between the window and the base of the detector modules;
evacuating the internal volume of the low-vacuum vessel to a low vacuum pressure in the range from 10 −5 to 10 −8 Torr;
evacuating the ultrahigh-vacuum manifold and the internal volumes of the detector modules to an ultrahigh vacuum pressure of 10 −9 Torr or lower;
heating the detector modules to a temperature at which the solder melts to fill the gaps between the windows and the bases, while the low vacuum pressure is maintained in the internal volume of the low-vacuum vessel and the ultrahigh vacuum pressure is maintained in the internal volumes of the detector modules;
cooling the detector modules to a temperature at which the solder solidifies to form a solder seal between the windows and the bases, while the low vacuum pressure is maintained in the internal volume of the low-vacuum vessel and the ultrahigh vacuum pressure is maintained in the internal volumes of the detector modules; and
releasing the vacuum in the internal volume of the low-vacuum vessel.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the low vacuum pressure is in the range from 1×10 −5 to 1×10 −7 Torr.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising leak testing all or selected detector modules by introducing a tracer gas into the low-vacuum vessel while maintaining the ultrahigh-vacuum pressure in the ultrahigh vacuum manifold and the internal volumes of the detector modules.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising forming a photocathode material on cathode surfaces of the microchannel plate detectors while maintaining the ultrahigh-vacuum pressure in the ultrahigh vacuum manifold and the internal volumes of the detector modules.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising testing a performance parameter of one or more of the microchannel plate detectors.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein fabricating the plurality of microchannel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT) detectors is conducted without heating the low vacuum vessel.

Assignees

• Univ Chicago

Inventors

• Frisch Henry J
• Angelico Evan
• Elagin Andrey
• Spieglan Eric
• Adams Bernhard W

Classifications

• H01J9/12 Primary

  of photo-emissive cathodes; of secondary-emission electrodes · CPC title

• B23K1/0008

  specially adapted for particular articles or work · CPC title

• G01T1/202

  the detector being a crystal · CPC title

• H01J37/244

  Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor · CPC title