
Oswald Siegmund
Dr. Oswald Siegmund is a Senior Space Fellow at the CAL Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory and has worked there since receiving his Ph.D. from The University College London in 1982. He has specialized in development of photon counting sensors for Astrophysics, High Energy Physics, radiation detection, biological imaging and ground based astronomy. Oswald has led the development of MCP based sensor systems on many NASA and ESA missions including COS-HST, and SOHO. He has 16 NASA individual and group awards, a Templeton Foundation Career Award, is a two time recipient of the SPIE George W. Goddard award and the AAS Weber award.
High Performance Cross Strip Imaging Readout Planacon Sealed Tubes
Sealed tube MCP detectors have provided a valuable platform for high time resolution photon counting detectors. Specifically, electronic readout microchannel plate (MCP) based sensors have been used as photon counting, imaging, event time tagging detectors for astronomy, time resolved biological imaging, imaging LIDAR, Cherenkov (RICH), scintillation detection, and neutron imaging. For future initiatives we have been developing novel atomic layer deposited MCPs, UV optimized photocathodes and high resolution cross strip readouts for sealed tube detectors. Some history of the development of MCP detectors and the impact of new technologies will be presented. Particularly atomic layer deposited MCPs can replace standard MCPs, providing enhanced gain stability with reduced intrinsic background and (/3) gamma ray sensitivity. The Photonis Planacon is a useful sealed detector format (~50 mm active area) to employ and demonstrate these novel technologies.