Multi-Anode Microchannel Arrays

Abstract

The Multi-Anode Microchannel Arrays (MAMA's) are a family of photoelectric photon-counting array detectors being developed for use in instruments on both ground-based and space-borne telescopes. These detectors combine high sensitivity and photometric stability with a high-resolution imaging capability. Visible-light (10 × 10)-pixel, (1 × 512)-pixel and (1 × 1024)-pixel detector systems are now being used at ground-based telescopes and an ultraviolet (1 × 1024)-pixel detector has been flown in a sounding-rocket spectrometer. A (16 × 1024)-pixel system is currently under test in the laboratory and (24 × 1024)-pixel and (256 × 1024)-pixel systems will be available later this year. The construction and modes-of-operation of the different detector systems are described and the latest performance data are presented.