Electron-emissive semiconductor devices
AssigneeEnglish Electric Valve Company Limited
InventorsJonathan Ross Howorth, Alan Jerome Goss, Peter James Pool
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Abstract
An electron-emissive semiconductor device such as a photocathode or an electron multiplier, consists of separate regions of semiconductor material spaced apart by a barrier which reduces current flow between the regions. The barriers improve the performance of the device by preventing excess electron emission currents and reduce image spreading.
Claims7
An electron-emissive semiconductor device comprising first and second substantially parallel surfaces which are spaced apart from one another by intervening electron-emissive semiconductor material, the first surface of which is provided with a layer or coating of a material which provides a reduction in the surface work function of the semiconductor material so that electrons are emitted from said first surface when said second surface is subjected to an incident stimulus, the semiconductor material consisting of localized elemental regions which are separated from each other by barrier means which extend from said first to said second surface to isolate said regions from each other and inhibit current flow between the different elemental regions.
An electron-emissive semiconductor device comprising, in combination:
- a body of electron-emissive semiconductor material having a membrane-like portion thereof presenting closely spaced and substantially parallel opposite side surfaces;
- means on one of said surfaces for reducing the surface work function of the semiconductor material whereby the other surface of the membrane-like portion may be subjected to incident stimulus such as incident light or primary electrons to produce electron emission from said one surface;
- and
- barrier means within said membrane-like portion separating said semiconductor material into discrete, elemental regions physically isolated form each other by said barrier means for limiting electron emissions from said elemental regions and for restricting current flow between said elemental regions when said other surface is subjected to incident stimulus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.