Time-domain anode-decoupling co-design for a floating microchannel plate detector readout
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866914613622210560 |
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| author | Bonny, Robin F. Obersnel, Lorenzo Rubin, Martin Galli, André Wurz, Peter Fausch, Rico G. |
| author_facet | Bonny, Robin F. Obersnel, Lorenzo Rubin, Martin Galli, André Wurz, Peter Fausch, Rico G. |
| contents | We present a microchannel plate (MCP) detector for compact time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOF-MS) that jointly optimizes the anode geometry and high-voltage AC-decoupling network for electrically floating operation. Undershoot-driven baseline artifacts and pulse broadening are addressed by a time-domain co-design of the anode geometry and decoupling network. The design is validated through a staged workflow that combines full-wave electromagnetic simulations, vector network analyzer measurements, circuit-level transient models, and end-to-end mass spectra. The resulting planar circular patch anode with anode-proximal decoupling confines fields, preserves peak amplitude, and suppresses post-pulse energy, leading to fast settling and minimal baseline wander. We show that the effective high-pass corner set by the decoupling capacitance directly governs undershoot decay and baseline recovery. Measurements in a representative TOF-MS test setup demonstrate waveguide-level pulse fidelity at a fraction of the mass and volume of heritage waveguide-based detectors, with residual ripples in the measured response originating from downstream cable and digitizer terminations rather than the detector itself. By limiting detector-induced temporal broadening and inter-peak baseline coupling, the design supports high mass resolution and dynamic range in miniaturized TOF-MS architectures. Variants of this planar flight-ready architecture are being implemented in several next-generation spaceborne TOF-MS instruments currently under development at the University of Bern. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_19495 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Time-domain anode-decoupling co-design for a floating microchannel plate detector readout Bonny, Robin F. Obersnel, Lorenzo Rubin, Martin Galli, André Wurz, Peter Fausch, Rico G. Instrumentation and Detectors We present a microchannel plate (MCP) detector for compact time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOF-MS) that jointly optimizes the anode geometry and high-voltage AC-decoupling network for electrically floating operation. Undershoot-driven baseline artifacts and pulse broadening are addressed by a time-domain co-design of the anode geometry and decoupling network. The design is validated through a staged workflow that combines full-wave electromagnetic simulations, vector network analyzer measurements, circuit-level transient models, and end-to-end mass spectra. The resulting planar circular patch anode with anode-proximal decoupling confines fields, preserves peak amplitude, and suppresses post-pulse energy, leading to fast settling and minimal baseline wander. We show that the effective high-pass corner set by the decoupling capacitance directly governs undershoot decay and baseline recovery. Measurements in a representative TOF-MS test setup demonstrate waveguide-level pulse fidelity at a fraction of the mass and volume of heritage waveguide-based detectors, with residual ripples in the measured response originating from downstream cable and digitizer terminations rather than the detector itself. By limiting detector-induced temporal broadening and inter-peak baseline coupling, the design supports high mass resolution and dynamic range in miniaturized TOF-MS architectures. Variants of this planar flight-ready architecture are being implemented in several next-generation spaceborne TOF-MS instruments currently under development at the University of Bern. |
| title | Time-domain anode-decoupling co-design for a floating microchannel plate detector readout |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.19495 |