A position sensitive detector for EUV remote sensing

The authors describe a photon-counting extreme ultraviolet (EUV) detector system used in a rocket-borne spectroscopic instrument for remote sensing of upper atmospheric composition and temperature. The detector uses a KBr coated microchannel plate (MCP) Z stack in combination with a wedge-and-strip image readout system. Three separate detector fields of view are used to sense the Earth dayglow spectrum (980 AA to 1040 AA, and 1300 AA to 1360 AA) and the solar EUV spectrum (250 AA to 1400 AA). The authors demonstrate high gain (2*10/sup 7/), tight pulse-height distribution (35% FWHM), and a spatial resolution of approximately 35 mu m FWHM (full width at half maximum), which is the highest resolution for a wedge-and-strip anode MCP detector flown to date. The background, image linearity, and flat-field performance are discussed. Raw spectra from the rocket flight are also presented. >