Study on the influence of alkaline corrosion process on the uniformity of white-light neutron microchannel plate

In the field of micro- and nanotechnology, the white light neutron Microchannel Plate (MCP) is a key component. It utilizes materials internally doped with nuclear-sensitive elements to capture neutrons and release converted electrons, triggering the electron multiplier process. In order to achieve high temporal resolution, high spatial resolution, and efficient detection of neutrons across a wider energy spectrum, the high uniformity of the microchannel plate is crucial. The corrosion step is crucial in the microchannel plate preparation process as it directly affects the formation and uniformity of the channels. To ensure consistent imaging quality, the corrosion level in each channel must be uniform. This paper focuses on the effect of various alkaline corrosion processes on the uniformity of microchannel plates doped with the neutron conversion material 10B . The results show that increasing the strength of alkaline treatments leads to poorer microchannel plate uniformity. This is because alkali metal oxides tend to reduce more alkali metal monomers during hydrogen reduction at high temperatures. This leads to an uneven distribution of alkali metals within each channel on the MCP surface, resulting in inconsistent gain and poorer uniformity. However, the uniformity of the microchannel plate can be effectively improved by controlling the concentration and duration of alkaline corrosion. Therefore, precise control of the alkaline corrosion process, especially the concentration and duration of alkaline corrosion, is expected to significantly enhance the performance of the microchannel plate and advance the development of white light neutron source resonance imaging technology.