Claims
- 1. An evacuated x-ray image intensifier tube of improved conversion efficiency and resolution comprising:
- evacuated envelope means;
- an x-ray pick-up screen disposed within said evacuated envelope means for receiving an x-ray image and converting said x-ray image by scintillation into an optical photon image corresponding to the received x-ray image,
- said x-ray pick-up screen comprising a vacuum vapor deposited polycrystalline layer of alkali metal halide scintillator material, said scintillator material including an activator so as to be x-ray sensitive and selected from the group consisting of CsI, NaI, LiI, KI, CsBr, and RbI, having a density of alkali metal halide material approximately equal to that of the bulk alkali halide material, and having a thickness greater than 0.0005 inch; and
- a photocathode layer behind said x-ray pick-up screen for converting said photon image to a corresponding electron image for emission into said evacuated envelope.
- 2. The x-ray image intensifier tube of claim 1 further including electrode means for focusing said electron image, and an output screen for converting said focused image electron image into a visible intensified image of said electron image.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scintillator layer is activated CsI.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said scintillator layer includes an activator material selected from the class consisting of TlI, NaI, Na, and LiI.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scintillator layer is curved.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said scintillator layer is a layer of material condensed onto a support member in vacuum from the vapor phase.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said photocathode material includes cesium and antimony.
RELATED CASES
The present application is a divisional application of copending application Ser. No. 7,358, filed Feb. 3, 1970, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,531; granted Mar. 5, 1974 which in-turn is a continuation application of parent application Ser. No. 606,514 filed Dec. 22, 1966 and now abandoned, all of such applications being assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
US Referenced Citations (29)
Foreign Referenced Citations (10)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2083259 |
Dec 1959 |
JA |
15561 |
Jan 1961 |
JA |
668,854 |
Mar 1952 |
UK |
713,924 |
Aug 1954 |
UK |
720,621 |
Dec 1954 |
UK |
729,521 |
May 1955 |
UK |
839,681 |
Jun 1960 |
UK |
1,201,001 |
Aug 1970 |
UK |
747,855 |
Apr 1956 |
UK |
716,064 |
Sep 1954 |
UK |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (5)
Entry |
"C.sub.s I(NA) Scintillation Crystals" -- by Brinkman -- Physics Letters, vol. 15, No. 4, p. 305, Apr. 1965. |
"On the Activation of Oxide--Coated Cathodes," by Hamaker, et al.-Phillips Res. Rep. 2, 171, (1947). |
"Monochromatic -. . . " by Rosterkamp Medica Mundi, (1961), pp. 68-77. |
"The Oxide--Coated Cathode," by Herman, et al., 1951, p. 113. |
Albrecht, et al., X-Ray Screens With Reduced Information Losses, 5 Medici Mundi; pp. 80-84, 1959. |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
7358 |
Feb 1970 |
|
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
606514 |
Dec 1966 |
|