Patent ID: 6724131
Filing Date: 2004-04-20
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
An image intensifier tube having a body, said body holding: a photocathode, a microchannel plate, and a display electrode; the image intensifier tube receiving photons of light and responsively providing a visible image, said image intensifier tube comprising:said body including a ring-like portion defining an annular step upon which is disposed an electrical contact structure; said microchannel plate being disposed upon said step, and contacting said electrical contact structure, said contact structure making electrical contact both with a surface electrode disposed on one face of the microchannel plate and with a surface electrode disposed on the opposite face of the microchannel plate; a fine-dimension tidally extending insulative spacing structure extending between the photocathode mud the microchannel plate and physically touching at least one of the microchannel plate and photocathode to capture the microchannel plate in a selected axial position an said step and in electrical contact with said electrical contact structure, thus to establish a selected fine-dimension spacing between the microchannel plate and an active portion of the photocathode; and said body further including a yieldably deformable and axially-variable sealing structure sealingly uniting the body portion with a window member, said window member carrying said photocathode; whereby the yieldable and axially-variable sealing structure yields to accommodate dimensional variabilities for both the body portion and the window member, and the fine-dimension spacing of the photocathode from the microchannel plate is maintained by said fine-dimension spacing structure and is substantially independent of these dimensional variabilities.