High speed electostatic printing tube using a microchannel plate

Claim 2

A high speed electrostatic printing apparatus comprising means to provide a photon image; a photon to electron image converter and intensifier comprising an evacuated container having a first wall portion through which said photon image may be projected, a photo cathode disposed within said evacuated container for intercepting said photon image and converting it to an electron image, a microchannel plate having an input surface and an output surface disposed and aligned within said evacuated container such that said input surface is adjacent and parallel to said photo cathode for intensifying said electron image, a multilead array comprising a second wall portion of said evacuated container having a plurality of conductors embedded in an insulating plate having two broad surfaces parallel to the plane of said plate, said conductors being oriented perpendicular to the plane of said insulating plate such that one end of insulating conductor is exposed at each broad surface of said insulating plate, said multilead array being disposed such that one broad surface is within said evacuated container and is adjacent and parallel to said output surface of said microchannel plate for collecting said intensified electron image and the other broad surface forms a portion of the outside surface of said evacuated container; and a dielectric target for receiving said intensified electron image from said conductors of said multilead array, said dielectric target having one surface thereof disposed adjacent to said other broad surface of said multilead array.

Claim 3

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for applying an electrical potential between said photo cathode and said input surface of said microchannel plate for accelerating and focusing electrons leaving said photo cathode.

Claim 4

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a magnetic field between said photo cathode and said microchannel plate to focus said electron image onto said microchannel plate.

Claim 5

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for applying an electrical potential between the input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate.

Claim 6

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for effecting an electrical potential between said output surface of said microchannel plate and said dielectric target.

Claim 7

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a magnetic field between said microchannel plate and said multilead array to focus said electron image onto said multilead array.

Claim 8

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an electrically conductive plate connected to ground disposed adjacent to and in contact with the surface of said dielectric target opposite said multilead array.

Claim 9

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dielectric target is disposed in contact with said conductors of said multilead array.

Claim 10

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for applying a potential between said photo cathode and said input surface of said microchannel plate such that said photo cathode is at a lower potential than said input surface of said microchannel plate, means for applying a potential between said input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate such that said input surface is at a lower potential than said outPut surface, a conductive plate connected to ground in contact with said dielectric target, and means for applying a potential between said output surface of said microchannel plate and said conductive plate such that said output surface of said microchannel plate is at a lower potential than said conductive plate.

Claim 11

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to provide a photon image includes an item to be electrostatically copied further comprising a means to move said item and said dielectric target in synchronous motion.

Claim 12

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to provide a photon image includes an item to be electrostatically copied further comprising means to move said image converter and intensifier between said item and said dielectric target.

Claim 13

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to provide a photon image includes an item to be copied further comprising means to move said image converter and intensifier, said item, and said dielectric target in synchronous motion.

Claim 14

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means comprises an item to be electrostatically copied, a light source, the light of which is modulated by said item to be copied thereby producing a photon image, and a lens system for projecting said photon image.

Claim 15

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 13 wherein said dielectric target is disposed in contact with said conductors of said multilead array and further comprising means for applying a potential between said photo cathode and said input surface of said microchannel plate such that said photo cathode is at a lower potential than said input surface of said microchannel plate, means for applying a potential between said input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate such that said input surface is at a lower potential than said output surface, a conductive plate connected to ground in contact with said dielectric target, means for applying a potential between said output surface of said microchannel plate and said conductive plate such that said output surface of said microchannel plate is at a lower potential than said conductive plate, and means to move said item to be copied and said dielectric target in synchronous motion.

Claim 16

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 13 wherein said dielectric target is disposed in contact with said conductors of said multilead array and further comprising means for applying a potential between said photo cathode and said input surface of said microchannel plate such that said photo cathode is at a lower potential than said input surface of said microchannel plate, means for applying a potential between said input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate such that said input surface is at a lower potential than said output surface, a conductive plate connected to ground in contact with said dielectric target, means for applying a potential between said output surface of said microchannel plate and said conductive plate such that said output surface of said microchannel plate is at a lower potential than said conductive plate, and means to move said image converter and intensifier between said item to be copied and said dielectric target.

Claim 17

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 13 wherein said photo cathode, microchannel plate, multilead array and dielectric target each have at least as much surface area as the resulting electrostatic copy of said item such that said item may be reproduced at one time, said dielectric target being in contact with said conductors of said multilead array and further comprising means for applying a potential between said photo cathode and said input surface of said microchannel plate such that said photo cathode is at a lower potential than said input surface of said microchannel plate, means for applying a potential between said input and outPut surfaces of said microchannel plate such that input surface is at a lower potential than said output surface, a conductive plate connected to ground in contact with said dielectric target, and means for applying a potential between said output surface of said microchannel plate and said conductive plate such that said output surface of said microchannel plate is at a lower potential than said conductive plate.

Claim 18

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 13 wherein said light from said light source is modulated by reflecting at least a portion of said light from said item to be copied.

Claim 19

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 13 wherein said light from said light source is modulated by transmitting at least a portion of said light through said item to be copied.

Claim 20

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dielectric target is no further than 0.002 inch from said conductors, and said intensified electron image is transferred to said dielectric target by arc discharge.

Claim 21

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said microchannel plate embodies a plurality of channels, the inner surfaces of said channels containing a resistive secondary-electron emissive layer, the openings at the ends of said channels being at said input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate.

Claim 22

The electrostatic printing apparatus of claim 22 wherein said microchannel plate comprises a plurality of tubular members, the ends of which form said input and output surfaces of said microchannel plate.

Claim 23

A high speed electrostatic printing apparatus comprising means to provide a photon image; a photon to electron image converter and intensifier comprising an evacuated container having a first wall portion through which said photon image may be projected, a photo cathode disposed within said evacuated container for intercepting said photon image and converting it to an electron image, a microchannel plate having an input surface and an output surface disposed and aligned within said evacuated container such that said input surface is adjacent and parallel to said photo cathode for intensifying said electron image, a multilead array comprising a second wall portion of said evacuated container having a plurality of conductors embedded in an insulating plate having two broad surfaces parallel to the plane of said plate, said conductors being oriented perpendicular to the plane of said insulating plate such that one end of each conductor is exposed at each broad surface of said insulating plate, said multilead array being disposed such that a first broad surface is, within said evacuated container and is adjacent and parallel to said output surface of said microchannel plate for collecting said intensified electron image, and the second broad surface forms a portion of the outside surface of said evacuated container; a first dielectric target for receiving and temporarily storing said intensified electron image from said conductors of said multilead array, said first dielectric target having one surface thereof disposed adjacent to said second surface of said multilead array; and a second dielectric target disposed in such manner as to receive said electron image from said first temporary storage target, said second target being the one on which the electrostatic image is permanently developed and fixed.

Claim 24

A high speed electrostatic printing apparatus comprising means to provide a photon image; a photon to electron image converter and intensifier comprising an evacuated container having a first wall portion through which said photon image may be projected, a photo cathode disposed within said evacuated container for intercepting said photon image and converting it to an electron image, a microchannel plate having an input surface and an output surface disposed and aligned within said evacuated container such that said input surface is adjacent and parallel to said photo cathode for intensifying said electron image, a multilead array comprising a second wall portion of said evacuated container having a plurality of conductors embedded in an insulating plate having two broad surfaces parallel to the plane of said plate, said conductors being oriented perpendicular to the plane of said insulating plate such that one end of each conductor is exposed at each broad surface of said insulating plate, said multilead array being disposed such that a first broad surface is, within said evacuated container and is adjacent and parallel to said output surface of said microchannel plate for collecting said intensified electron image, and the second broad surface forms a portion of the outside surface of said evacuated container; a first dielectric target for receiving and temporarily storing said intensified electron image from said conductors of said multilead array, said first dielectric target having one surface thereof disposed adjacent to said second surface of said multilead array; and a second dielectric target disposed in such manner as to receive said electron image from said first temporary storage target, said second target being the one on which the electrostatic image is permanently developed and fixed.