Opto-electronic shutter
Assignee3DV Systems Ltd.
InventorsGiora Yahav, Gavriel J. Iddan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optoelectronic shutter for radiation, comprising an input plate and an output plate, comprising material substantially transparent to the radiation, each plate having an outer and an inner surface, wherein a recess is formed in the inner surface of at least one of the plates, and wherein respective non-recessed portions of the inner surfaces of the plates are bonded together, and the recess defines a vacuum chamber enclosed by the two plates; a photocathode fixed to the inner surface of the input plate, adjacent the chamber, and a photo-emissive anode, fixed to the inner surface of the output plate, adjacent the chamber and opposite the photocathode.
Claims48
An optoelectronic shutter, comprising:
- an input plate and an output plate, comprising material substantially transparent to input and output radiation respectively, each plate having an outer and an inner surface,
- wherein a recess is formed in the inner surface of at least one of the plates, and
- wherein respective non-recessed portions of the inner surfaces of the plates are bonded together, and the recess defines a vacuum chamber enclosed by the two plates;
- a photocathode, fixed to the inner surface of the input plate, adjacent the chamber;
- a photoluminescent anode, fixed to the inner surface of the output plate, adjacent the chamber and opposite the photocathode;
- and
- means for providing a potential difference between the photocathode and the anode.
An optoelectronic shutter for radiation, comprising:
- an input plate and an output plate, of material substantially transparent to the radiation, each plate having an outer and an inner surface, the plates defining and enclosing a vacuum chamber therebetween;
- a photocathode, fixed to the inner surface of the input plate, adjacent the chamber;
- a photoluminescent anode, fixed to the inner surface of the output plate, adjacent the chamber and opposite the photocathode;
- and
- means for providing a potential difference between the photocathode and the anode;
- wherein electrons emitted by the photocathode pass through the chamber and strike the anode, responsive to a trigger pulse applied to the shutter, the distance between the photocathode and the anode being such that the electrons strike the anode substantially without defocusing,
- wherein there are no electromagnetic fields, other than those providing said potential difference between the photocathode and the anode, applied to the shutter for the purpose of electron focusing, and
- wherein the shutter does not include a microchannel plate.
A method for producing an optoelectronic shutter for radiation, comprising:
- providing first and second plates of material substantially transparent to the radiation, each plate having a first and a second surface;
- etching a recess in the first surface of at least one of the plates;
- depositing photocathode material on the first surface of the first plate;
- depositing photoluminescent anode material on the first surface of the second plate;
- providing means for impressing an electric field between the photocathode and the anode;
- and
- bonding the first surface of the first plate to the first surface of the second plate to form an evacuated chamber between the plates, which chamber comprises the recess;
- wherein depending the photocathode and anode materials comprises depositing the materials over portions of the respective first surfaces of the plates that adjoin the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.