Novel control circuit for proximity focused microchannel plate image intensifiers

A microchannel plate image intensifier and a gating pulse generator, which controls its shutter effect, constitute a super high-speed camera with high gain and fast response. A comparison of three pulse control modes for a typical second generation image intensifier (18 mm, Model ITT-F4111 image intensifier) is made. Based on the comparison, a novel control circuit for gating the photocathode of the image intensifier, as well as capable of generating high amplitude nanosecond pulses, is introduced. It is experimentally determined that the exposure time of the camera could reach approximately 2 ns by using this control generator. In addition, the paper discusses the match between the generator and the image intensifier. Furthermore, a simple and effective method is introduced to eliminate multiple exposures which are to be avoided in single shot photography.