Image intensifier

Claim 1

AN ELECTRON IMAGE INTENSIFIER WITH A MEMORY CAPABILITY, COMPRISING: A SOLID STATE STRUCTURE HAVING A FIRST ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A CONDUCTIVE OPAQUE PLATE, A SECOND ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A LAYER OF INSULATING MATERIAL ON ONE SURFACE OF SAID PLATE, A THIRD ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A THIN CONDUCTIVE LAYER ON SAID SECOND ELEMENT AND A FOURTH ELEMENT IN THE FORM OF A COATING OF INSULATING MATERIAL ON SAID THIRD ELEMENT, SAID STRUCTURE HAVING HOLES UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED OVER ITS SURFACE AND EXTENDING COMPLETELY THERETHROUGH IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID SURFACE, SAID HOLES BEING OF SUCH DIAMETER AND SPACING THAT SEVERAL HOLES ARE INCLUDED IN THE MINIMUM ELEMENTAL AREA IT IS DESIRED TO RESOLVE IN THE ELECTRON IMAGE TO BE INTENSIFIED, THE SPACES FORMED BY SAID HOLES IN SAID FIRST ELEMENT BEING FILLED WITH A PHOSPHOR MATERIAL AT THEIR ENDS NEAREST SAID SECOND ELEMENT AND WITH A PHOTOEMISSIVE MATERIAL AT THEIR OTHER ENDS; MEANS FOR APPLYING AN ELECTRON IMAGE TO SAID FOURTH ELEMENT; MEANS OPERATIVE IN THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF STEPS FOR UNIFORMLY FLOODING SAID FOURTH ELEMENT WITH ELECTRONS UNDER LESS THAN UNITY SECONDARY EMISSION RATIO CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID FOURTH ELEMENT AT AN INITIAL POTENTIAL RELATIVE TO SAID THIRD ELEMENT; MEANS OPERATIVE IN THE SECOND OF SAID SERIES OF STEPS TO ESTABLISH GREATER THAN UNITY SECONDARY EMISSION RATIO CONDITIONS AT SAID FOURTH ELEMENT FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME INTERVAL WHEREBY SAID FOURTH ELEMENT ACQUIRES A CHARGE DISTRIBUTION AND ITS SURFACE TO WHICH SAID ELECTRON IMAGE IS APPLIED ACQUIRES A POTENTIAL DISTRIBUTION CORRESPONDING TO THE ELECTRON DENSITY DISTRIBUTION OF SAID ELECTRON IMAGE; AND MEANS OPERATING DURING THE THIRD OF SAID SERIES OF STEPS FOR UNIFORMLY FLOODING SAID FOURTH ELEMENT WITH LOW VELOCITY ELECTRONS AND FOR ESTABLISHING SAID FIRST ELEMENT AT A POSITIVE POTENTIAL RELATIVE TO SAID THIRD ELEMENT.