A pulse dilation photomultiplier tube (PD-PMT) has been developed. The photoelectrons energy is modulated by a time-dependent electric field between photocathode and ground mesh. Then, the photoelectron pulse is dilated as it transits in a relatively long drift region from mesh to microchannel plate (MCP). The dilated electron pulse is gained by the MCP and then detected by the output collector. Because the temporal width is magnified, the temporal resolution of the photomultiplier tube is better than that of the output collector alone. The result shows that the temporal resolution of the detector is improved to be 25 ps by using pulse-dilation technology, which is much better than 300 ps temporal resolution while without pulse-dilation. The ramp electrical pulse dilates the electron signal to improve the temporal response by about 10 times.

X-ray diode is an essential instrument for the measurement of the radiation flow in the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiment. The time resolution of the traditional X-ray diode is about 100 ps, which needs improvement. A newly electronic pulse-dilation technique can greatly improve the time resolution of the high-speed diagnostic instrument. Here, an ultrafast X-ray diode with electronic pulse-dilation technique is presented, which includes a pulse-dilation device and an anode electron detector. The pulse-dilation X-ray diode is theoretical and experimental researched. The time resolution of the X-ray diode is approximately 261 ps without electronic signal pulse-dilation, and it will be improved to 19 ps by using the pulse-dilation technique.

A new pulse-dilated photomultiplier tube (PD-PMT) with sub-20 ps temporal resolution and associated drivers have been developed for use detection and signal amplification in the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) community. The PD-PMT is coupled to a transmission line output in order to provide a continuous time history of the input signal. Electron pulse dilation provides high-speed detection capabilities by converting incoming signals into a free-electron cloud and manipulating the electron signal with electric and magnetic fields. This velocity dispersion is translated into temporal separation after the electrons transit into a drift space. The free electrons are then detected by using conventional time-resolved methods and the effective temporal resolution is improved about 12 times. In order to accurately obtain the actual device input signal, we experimentally investigated the relationship between microchannel plate (MCP) gain and electron energy during the first collision. We report the measurements with the PD-PMT, and the error source of the amplitude of the compressed signal is analyzed, which provides a reference for subsequent accurate construction.

High-voltage ultrafast pulses can be effectively used to control the gated traveling-wave amplitude division of microchannel plates. In view of that and according to the microstrip transmission theory, this study proposes a pulse generator based on the Marx circuit of a field-effect tube. In this study, detailed designs of the proposed pulse generator are presented and validated by simulations using the OrCAD PSpice. An experimental setup is constructed to demonstrate the viability of the proposed design. Finally, an optimized pulse with a 2.2-kV amplitude and a 220-ps width is generated. This article provides a reference for future design of advanced direct capacitor discharge pulse generator with adjustable pulse parameters using the silicon carbide field effect.