Analysis and perfomance characteristics of an intensified silicon vidicon tube

Typical performance characteristics for intensified silicon vidicon tubes are given. The tube can be operated at 5 × 10^-7_ fc faceplate illumination. A 40 percent modulation depth at 400 TV lines per raster height has been achieved at a 300-nA signal level. When operating at 200-nA signal, typical decay lag performance shows less than 20-nA signal 50 ms after the illumination is removed. Theoretical and experimental performance at low light levels are compared. The design of the electron optical system of the intensifier section is considered with respect to distortion and center and edge resolution. Two important target parameters, collection efficiency and resolution, are also considered theoretically and experimentally. A simple model for the collection efficiency is given; theory and experiment compare well. The effect on resolution of discrete diode spacing and target thickness is given and this is coupled with other modulation transfer parameters to predict the overall modulation transfer of the device. Critical performance characteristics are given for sample tubes.