There are no commercially available channel electron multipliers (CEMs) made of glass in domestic market of China; more complex CEMs with helix channels are scarcer.
This study aims to develop a CEM with a single helix channel, and test its performace for satisfying the requirements of high-end users of such products.
First of all, a series of manufacturing process designs and improvements were made on the basis of the formula of microchannel sheet glass, resulting in the production of a single spiral channel electron multiplier with suitable performance. Then, a CEM analog mode test device with a disc-incense type tantalum filament as the input current and a CEM pulse-counting mode test device with an ultraviolet light-emitting diode combined with a gold cathode as the input signal were set up to conduct comprehensive testing of the device's performance parameters.
The newly developed CEM with single helix channel achieves gains of 1×104~1×106 in the analog mode and 1×107~1×108 in the pulse-counting mode. The gain value increases with the increase of the working voltage, and the rise time of the output pulse is 2~3 ns.
The overall performance of the developed CEM is close to that of foreign counterparts, and the CEM can be used in related instruments.
