Collimator application for microchannel plate image intensifier resolution improvement

A method of making a collimator for a microchannel plate image intensifier, the method comprising:

• inserting a glass rod core into a lead glass sleeve;
• fusing said lead glass sleeve to said glass rod;
• simultaneously heating and drawing the product of said fusing step into a fiber to reduce its diameter;
• cutting said fiber into many equal lengths;
• bundling said lengths;
• fusing the bundled lengths into a boule;
• simultaneously heating and drawing said boule into a fiber, wherein said drawing is controlled to obtain a channel diameter of between 15 and 30 micrometers;
• repeating said cutting, bundling and fusing steps to obtain a second boule;
• slicing said second boule into wafers approximately 0.4 mm thick, wherein said second boule is sliced perpendicular to the boule axis such that said boule has a bias angle of zero;
• dissolving said glass rod core in an echant, leaving only said lead glass sleeve said dissolving step producing a microchannel plate;
• hydrogen firing said microchannel plate to free the lead in said glass rod to make the channels as conductive as possible;
• and
• applying an electrode laser over the entire collimator.