Electron multiplier having an inclined field

Claim 1

A MULTIPLIER COMPRISING WALL MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH SECONDARY EMISSIVE MATERIAL AND DEFINING AT LEAST A PARTIALLY ENCLOSED SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR MULTIPLYING PATH HAVING A LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN ITS LATERAL DIMENSION, SAID MULTIPLYING PATH BEING TOTALLY CLEAR OF FIELD PRODUCING PHYSICAL OBSTRUCTIONS INDEPENDENT OF SAID WALL MEANS, SAID WALL MEANS AT ONE END OF ITS LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE PARTICLES TO BE MULTIPLIED, COLLECTING MEANS BEING POSITIONED AT THE OTHER END OF THE WALL MEANS LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION TO COLLECT THE MULTIPLIED PARTICLES, MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A POTENTIAL GRADIENT AT A MAJORITY OF INCREMENTS ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION OF SAID WALL MEANS FROM SAID ONE END TO SAID OTHER END, MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A SUBSTANTIALLY TOTAL FIELD WHICH IS AT A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF POINTS ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION FROM SAID ONE END TO SAID OTHER END AN ELECTRIC FIELD INCLINED TO SAID WALL MEANS WITH THE ELECTRIC FIELD LINES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER, ENVELOPE MEANS TO ENCLOSE SAID MULTIPLYING PATH.