Development of a digital imaging detector based on microchannel plates for biomedical samples emitting uncharged and charged particles

An imaging detector system based on microchannel plates is constructed for detecting charged and uncharged particles in biomedical samples. This technique has the advantage over conventional autoradiographic film technique, of short acquisition times and making dynamic studies of living materials possible. The detector consists of a fiber optic window with photocathode, microchannel plates and a resistive anode. The sample is mounted in a slide, which by an automatic sample changer is brought in front of a plastic scintillator fitted on the fiber optic window. The analog signals from the anode are digitized and collected in an image memory. Image processing is performed by an external computer. The expected spatial resolution will be better than 1 mm. (orig.)