Patent GB-677300-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to electron discharge tubes for storing electrical signals
IPC: H01J31/64
Filed: 1950-06-15
Abstract: 677,300. Cathode-ray tubes. RAULAND CORPORATION. June 15, 1950 [June 16, 1949], No. 14935/50. Class 39 (i). A storage electrode comprises an insulating layer on one side, and across the interstices, of a grid, the central plane of those portions covering the interstices being coincident with the central plane of the grid. A mesh or screen of parallel wires and of gold or chromium may be coated on one side with a nitrocellulose film, and silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide or a fluoride of calcium, barium or magnesium is repeatedly evaporated in an atmosphere of oxygen on to the other side so that it is drawn into the interstices by the nitrocellulose film which is subsequently dissolved out. The screen is rinsed in alcohol and ether. A gold screen may be two mils. thick and have 400 openings per sq. inch, and the insulating film may have a thickness of 1000-8000 A units. Alternatively, the insulating film may be evaporated on to a nitrocellulose film, stretched over a ring, and the metal evaporated through a grating on to the insulation. Metal may be evaporated on to the insulating layer to form deposits which are in alignment with the bars of the grid. A tube, e.g. for Radar, comprises a storage electrode 12, Fig. 1, on which signals are recorded by a writing beam from gun 14 and are read by a beam from gun 15. Line or circular scanning may be used and the beams may scan at the same or different frequencies and may overlap. The storage electrode and the decelerating electrodes 16, 17 are connected to potentiometers 43, 47, 50 and the output 52, 53 from the resistance 51 may be applied to a monitoring tube or image reproducer. Bypass condensers 45, 48, 54 are provided. The cathode 22 of writing gun 14 is connected to earth through the signal source and to the control grid 25, the potential of which is adjustable through the decoupling resistance 56 by a potentiometer 27. Anodes 29, 31, 38, 39 and focusing coils 18, 19 are provided for each beam. The cathode 33 of gun 15 is earthed and the control grid 34 is biased by the potentiometer 36. The writing beam preferably scans the insulating layer, the secondary emission of which is less than unity for one primary voltage range increasing through unity to a factor greater than one, and with greater primary voltages decreasing to a value less than one. The storage electrode is conditioned for recording signals by adjusting the potential of its grid to a value between the first and second cross-over voltages; the writing gun may be suppressed by a negative voltage or its control grid. The electrode is then scanned by the reading gun until the potential on the insulating layer is the same as that on the conducting grid which is then lowered to a value just below the first crossover potential of the insulator. The writing beam scanning the electrode produces electron voltages less than the first cross-over voltage of the insulator, or greater than the second cross-over voltage, to give a negative charge pattern on the electrode. The time for which the signal may be stored may be increased by subsequently adjusting the potential on the storage grid to a value at or near the first cross-over potential of the composite storage electrode. The image may be stored at half intensity or at full intensity and subsequently reduced by adjusting the voltage of the grid. The writing gun may be operated with intensity or amplitude modulation and the storage electrode may be negatively biased to give a black signal on a white background. The reading and writing beams may be produced from one gun. Electrode potentials for a longterm storage tube are specified.