A solid-state image converter

An image converter has been designed to convert the near-IR radiation obtained from light-emitting semiconductor diodes into visible radiation. In addition to wavelength conversion, a quantum gain was also obtained. High contrast ratios are shown to be dependent upon photoconductor capacitance. Concentric, noncoplanar electrode structures have been utilized to achieve photoconductor capacitance values several orders of magnitude smaller than those of a corresponding element. Data are shown describing the intensifier operation as a function of applied voltage and frequency. The input-output transfer function shows operation over three orders of magnitude of input intensity. Peak optical gains of 150 are reported.