Flat Photomultiplier Tube Peeks out of the Lab

Hamamatsu K.K. in Japan recently unveiled a showstopper commercial product for the new millennium: a flat panel photomultiplier tube.
The revelation was one of several "Future R&D Plans" announced during the company's Photon Fair, a three-day exhibit of products and applications in Hamamatsu City, Japan.
Measuring only 10 mm tall and 50 mm square, the flat photomultiplier produces more gain (5 X 10⁶) than the company's compact Opto-8 tube (5 X 10⁵), and it has a larger surface area over which to capture photons. The product is in the development stage, and company officials say it is approximately two years from commercialization. Applications are expected in medical imaging, scintillation cameras and display test equipment.
Other laboratory "escapees" at the fair included x-ray panel sensor technology, intelligent photosensors, compact hybrid photodetectors, and excimer and x-ray light sources for imaging and scientific applications.