A television camera tube with an electron-beam-accessed pyroelectric target

A thermal-imaging camera tube is described that works at normal ambient temperatures in a modified 1 inch vidicon camera. A thin slice of triglycine sulfate (TGS) is used to convert a thermal image into a spatial distribution of stored charge. The modes of signal generation, by either cathode-potential or anode-potential readout, are explained. The measured responsivities of tubes with TGS targets agree with predictions from published physical properties of the material.