Factors affecting the performance of detectors that use secondary electron emission from a thin foil to determine ion impact position

The factors affecting the performance of a Position-Sensitive Timing Detector (PSTD), based on the detection of secondary electrons ejected from a thin foil by the passing ion, were investigated. Different contributions to the observed (generally poor) position resolution were investigated. The effects of multiple scattering in the foil were determined first. We then measured the contribution of the position-sensitive detector and signal-handling electronics. Finally, the effect of electron transport, from the point of emission at the foil surface to the micro-channel plate detector (MCP) surface, was measured and evaluated. Our measurements, as well as a simulation of the electron transport, lead us to conclude that for detectors with foil-to-MCP distance ≥5 cm, electron transport limits the devices currently in use to resolution worse than 2 mm (FWHM).