Multiple-channel tubular devices

A process for forming a multiple-channel micro-tubular device comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual tubes of heat deformable material having a predetermined thermal coefficient of expansion into a closely packed array of a predetermined cross section;
• applying heat to said array to fuse said tubes into a unitary honeycomb structure;
• drawing said heated structure to reduce its cross section by at least an order of magnitude;
• cutting the drawn honeycomb structure into segments of a predetermined length and entrapping gas in each of the component tubes of said segments at a predetermined temperature below the fusion temperature of said material;
• inserting a plurality of said segments into a heat deformable receptacle having a coefficient of expansion substantially matching said predetermined coefficient to form a closely packed cluster;
• sealing said receptacle to form a vacuum-tight enclosure;
• at least partially evacuating said sealed receptacle;
• and heating said receptacle to a temperature above said predetermined temperature to fuse said cluster into a unitary structure, the atmospheric pressure external to said receptacle tending to compress it and the individual segments together, and the gas trapped in the individual heat deformable tubes building up a counter pressure due to the application of heat to inhibit collapse of the tubes during the fusing process.

A process for forming a multiple-channel micro-tubular device comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual heat deformable tubes into a closely packed array of a predetermined cross section;
• applying heat to said array to fuse said tubes into a unitary honeycomb structure;
• drawing from said heated honeycomb structure at a predetermined velocity a continuous micro bundle of a corresponding plurality of tubular elements individually having a cross section at least an order of magnitude smaller than said cross section of said tubes of said honeycomb structure;
• applying a flame to said bundle for severing it into segments and concurrently sealing the severed ends of each element of said segment to entrap gas in such elements;
• packing a plurality of said segments together;
• and heating said packed plurality of segments to fuse them into a unitary structure without collapsing said elements.

A process for forming a multiple-channel micro-tubular device comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual heat deformable tubes into a closely packed array of a predetermined cross section;
• applying heat to said array to fuse said tubes into a unitary honeycomb structure;
• drawing from said heated honeycomb structure at a predetermined velocity a continuous thin micro bundle of a corresponding plurality of tubular elements individually having a cross section at least an order of magnitude smaller than said cross section of said honeycomb structure;
• applying a flame to said bundle to sever it into segments and concurrently sealing the severed ends of each element of said segment to entrap gas in such elements;
• packing a plurality of said segments together to form a cluster;
• heating said cluster to fuse it into a unitary structure without collapsing said component tubes;
• and cutting said unitary structure into slices having a predetermined thickness.

A process of manufacturing a channel multiplier plate for use in an image display device or the like, comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual heat deformable tubes into a closely packed array of a predetermined cross section;
• applying heat to said array to fuse said tubes into a unitary honeycomb structure;
• drawing from said heated honeycomb structure at a predetermined velocity a continuous thin micro bundle of a corresponding plurality of tubular elements individually having a cross section at least an order of magnitude smaller than said cross section of said honeycomb structure;
• applying a flame to said bundle to sever it into segments and concurrently sealing the severed ends of each element of said segment to entrap gas in such elements;
• packing a plurality of said segments together to form a cluster;
• heating said cluster to fuse it into a unitary structure without collapsing said component tubes;
• cutting said unitary structure into slices having a predetermined thickness;
• and coating the faces of said slices with electrically conductive material.

A process for forming a multiple-channel tubular device comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual tubes of heat deformable material into a closely packed array of predetermined cross section with said tubes in tangent surface contact having undesired pockets between adjacent tubes;
• sealing both ends of each of said tubes at a given temperature to entrap gas therein;
• heating said array, while maintaining said predetermined cross section of said array, to a temperature that is high relative to said given temperature and at which said material is easily deformable but below the melting temperature of said material and producing a temperature difference between the ends of said array;
• maintaining the application of heat to said array to progressively fuse said tubes together from the hotter to the cooler end of said array to eliminate said pockets.

A process for forming a multiple-channel micro-tubular device comprising the following steps:

• assembling a plurality of individual tubes of heat deformable material into a closely packed array of predetermined cross section with said tubes are in tangent surface contact having undesired pockets between adjacent tubes,
• said tubes having both ends sealed to entrap gas at a given temperature;
• heating said array, while maintaining said predetermined cross section of said array, to a temperature that is high relative to said given temperature and at which said material is easily deformable but below the melting temperature of said material and producing a temperature difference between the ends of said array;
• continuing the application of heat to said array to progressively fuse said tubes together from the hotter to the cooler end of said array to eliminate said pockets;
• opening at least one end of each of said tubes;
• and then drawing said fused array to reduce its cross section by at least an order of magnitude.