History of the Kaiser—Aiken, thin cathode ray tube

The concept of the Thin Cathode Ray Tube is described as a goal-directed invention rather than a flash of intuition. The basic problem was to scan the CRT face by some method other than the angular deflection of the standard CRT, with its large conical volume. The method adopted was to bring the beam on a path parallel to the phosphor screen until it was close to the required screen position, and then turn it through a right angle by manipulating voltages on electrodes parallel to the screen and perpendicular to the beam. This was demonstrated successfully on a laboratory model, but financing and patent protection became problems just as difficult as the technology; tubes for military use were successfully produced, but the transition to the civil marker was never achieved.