Patent ID: 6920238

Claim:
An imaging system, which defines an optical path therein, for capturing an image from the image-bearing radiation, the imaging system comprising a solid radiation bearing detector disposed in the optical path, comprising a very thin, about 50 to 100 micro-meter thick, and very heavy scintillator with a density greater than 6, which efficiently converts the image-bearing radiation into a visible light spectrum with a high spatial accuracy; a photocathode, disposed within the camera housing along the optical path to convert the converted radiation into a stream of electrons representative of the image-bearing radiation; an image amplifier disposed in the stream of electrons such that image amplifier electrostatically accelerates the stream of electrons, and an amplified detector disposed after the image amplifier and, upon input of the stream of electrons, being adapted to generate secondary electrons to further amplify the image represented thereby such that the amplified detector then converts secondary electrons into an electronic signal representative of the image.