Position Sensing Using Pico-Second Timing With Micro-Channel Plate Devices and Waveform Sampling

Micro-Channel Plate devices (MCP) provide fast signals with rise-times in the 100 ps regime. The coupling of the MCP anode plane to 50 ¿ transmission lines allows both a precise time measurement and additionally the potential for a position measurement with an accuracy of a few hundred microns for large-area devices. We present position measurement results obtained with MCPs from Photonis, 10-cm long transmission lines, and a calibrated laser source, using waveform processing after digitization. A detailed simulation of the transmission lines is also presented, including simulation results for transmission lines up to 1-m in length. We compare the measured position resolution for two identical setups but with MCPs of different pore diameters: 25 and 10 microns.