Solid state storage devices and systems

A solid state storage device comprising:

• a luminescent screen including a continuous, crystalline, homogeneous, nongranular layer of a material consisting of one of a photoelectroluminescent phosphor and a cathodoelectroluminescent phosphor;
• and a pair of electrically conducting layers in direct contact with opposite surfaces thereof, one of said electrically conducting layers being metallic and at least one being visible light transmissive;
• means associated with said electrically conducting layers for establishing a unidirectional transverse electric field within said phosphor layer;
• means directing information-containing energy through one of said electrically conducting layers and upon said phosphor layer, said energy in combination with said electric field being effective to produce an intensified visible light image on said luminescent screen and form a volume positive space charge latent image within the phosphor layer thereof;
• and means for flooding said phosphor layer with energy less effective to produce a visible light image from said luminescent screen than said information-containing energy to cause the latent image previously formed within said phosphor layer to be displayed as a visible light image.

A solid state storage device comprising:

• a luminescent screen including a continuous, crystalline homogeneous, nongranular, photoelectroluminescent phosphor layer adapted to be directly excited to luminescence by information-containing radiant energy impinging thereon;
• a thin electrically conducting film which is transparent to incident radiation to which said layer is responsive contacting one surface of said phosphor layer;
• a thin electrically conducting film which is transparent to light emitted by said phosphor layer when excited contacting the opposite surface thereof;
• means applying a unidirectional voltage between said electrically conducting films for establishing a unidirectional, transverse, electric field within said phosphor layer;
• means directing information-containing radiant energy upon one side of said phosphor layer which radiation is effective to directly excite said phosphor layer and produce an intensified image therefrom and form therein a volume positive space charge latent image;
• and means for flooding said phosphor layer with radiant energy which is less effective to produce an image but operative to cause said latent image to be displayed as a visible image.

A cathode ray storage device comprising:

• an evacuable envelope having at one end thereof a luminescent screen, said screen including only a phosphor layer consisting entirely of a material consisting of one of a photoelectroluminescent phosphor and a cathodoelectroluminescent phosphor which is continuous, crystalline, homogeneous, nongranular and a pair of electrically conducting layers contacting opposite surfaces of the phosphor layer, at least one of said electrically conducting layers being electron permeable;
• means associated with said electrically conducting layers for establishing a unidirectional transverse electric field within said phosphor layer;
• means at another end of said envelope for generating, modulating, focusing and deflecting a beam of cathode rays over said screen to directly irradiate and excite said phosphor layer, said beam in combination with said electric field being effective to initiate emission from said phosphor layer and form a volume positive space charge latent image therein;
• and means for flooding said phosphor layer with energy which is less effective to initiate emission therefrom but which is operative to cause said latent image previously formed within said phosphor layer to be displayed on said luminescent screen.

A cathode ray storage device comprising:

• an evacuable envelope having at one end thereof a luminescent screen, said screen including a phosphor layer consisting of one of a photoelectroluminescent phosphor and a cathodoelectroluminescent phosphor which is continuous, crystalline, honogeneous and nongranular, and a pair of electrically conducting layers contacting opposite surfaces of the phosphor layer, at least one of said electrically conducting layers being electron permeable;
• means associated with said electrically conducting layers for establishing a unidirectional transverse electric field within said phosphor layer;
• means for directing information-containing radiant energy through one of said electrically conducting layers to directly irradiate and in combination with said electric field excite said phosphor layer to initiate emission therefrom and form a volume positive space charge latent image therein;
• means at another end of said envelope for generating and focusing a beam of cathode rays on said phosphor layer, said beam of cathode rays being less effective than said radiant energy to initiate emission from said phosphor layer but operative to cause said latent image previously formed therein to be displayed on said luminescent screen.