Abstract: An envelope of a display device includes a rear wall and a front wall having a cathodoluminescent screen thereon. Within the envelope are a plurality of electron beam guides and means for extracting electron beams out of the guide at various points. The electron beam guide comprises a first guide grid parallel to and spaced from the rear wall and a guide grid structure between the first grid and the front wall. Although there are unequal electric fields on the front and rear sides of the beam guide, the first guide grid and the guide grid structure maintain symmetry of the electric fields within the guide.

Abstract: The tube is improved by the shadow mask having an apertured active portion of parallel corrugations and integral corrugated skirt portions extending from the two opposite corrugated edges of the mask and having hinge means therein for interconnecting the mask to the envelope of the tube.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope having a plurality of spaced, parallel support walls extending between and substantially perpendicular to flat substantially parallel front and back walls to provide a plurality of parallel channels extending along the front and back walls. The front and back walls and the support walls are of an electrically insulating material, typically glass. Compressed between each of the support walls and the front wall is a metal strip which serves as the tip of the support wall and which extends along the entire length of the support wall. Each tip is tapered in thickness from a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the support wall at the support wall to a thinner thickness at the front wall. Means is provided between each metal tip and either the support wall or the front wall to prevent movement of the tip transversely of the channels. A shadow mask extends across each of the channels and extends between the metal tips and the support walls.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope having a plurality of parallel channels extending along and between spaced front and back walls. Each channel contains a plurality of parallel beam focusing guides, each of which is adapted to receive a beam of electrons at one end of the channel and confine the electrons in the beams as the beam flows through the focusing guide and to selectively deflect the beam toward a phosphor screen on the front wall of the envelope at a plurality of points along the channel. At each side of each channel is an electrode which extends from the front wall to a point spaced from the beam focusing guides. The electrodes are electrically connected to the phosphor screen and with the focusing guides serve to create an electrostatic field which fans out the paths of the electron beams emitted from the focusing guides so as to spread out the beams across the entire lateral dimension of the channel.

Abstract: An image display device includes at least one display cell having the following in spaced relation: a photocathode; multiplier dynodes, an anode electrode; and a cathodoluminescent screen. In addition to an optical feedback fluorescent material, the anode electrode includes a material which exhibits slow fluorescence, e.g., Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 :Gd3%, such that it emits light energy for a finite time period after it has been excited by electrons. In the operation of the display device, an electrical discharge is employed to produce the desired optical output at the cathodoluminescent screen. Some of the electrons created in the discharge strike the anode electrode, causing light energy to be directed to the photocathode where it is converted into free electrons. The presence of these free electrons ensures the rapid initiation of subsequent electrical discharges. In other embodiments, the electrical discharge may be obtained through ion feedback or plasma discharge.

Abstract: A cathode-ray tube of the vertical line screen, slit apertures mask type includes a mask wherein the horizontal curvature of the mask is made greater than that suggested by the prior art for similar type tubes. Because of the added curvature, the degree of electron beam misregister caused by mask doming is reduced. To obtain acceptable packing of the screen lines, the horizontal center-to-center spacing between adjacent apertures in the mask are varied in relation to the difference in mask-to-screen spacing with respect to the prior art. The additional mask curvature need not necessarily be in a single arch but also may take the form of parallel extending corrugations in the mask.

Abstract: A thin target wafer of silicon includes a light receiving surface which is mounted to an inner faceplate surface of a pickup tube envelope by an interposed region of transparent adhesive. The peripheral edge of the adhesive is sealed by a conductive sealant material to substantially prevent outgassing of the adhesive within the interior of the envelope. In one embodiment, a conductive sealant material is provided by which electrical contact from the wafer to an electrical connector, extending external to the envelope, is established.A method of assembly of the wafer with the faceplate is provided wherein residual bubbles of the interposed flowable adhesive are substantially collapsed by assembly of the wafer and the faceplate in a vacuum, and, thereafter, exposing the wafer-faceplate assembly to atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope has a rectangular display section and a gun section at one side of the display section. The display section includes rectangular front and back walls in closely spaced, substantially parallel relation, and a plurality of spaced, substantially parallel support walls between the front and back walls forming a plurality of parallel channels. The gun section extends across one end of the channels and includes gun structure which will selectively direct one or more electron beams along each of the channels. In each of the channels is a beam guide which utilizes "slalom focusing" to confine each electron beam in the channel and guide the beam along the length of the channel wherein the electron beam is confined to an undulating path along the channel. The beam guide also permits selective deflection of the electron beam out of the guide toward a phosphor screen on the inner surface of the front wall.

Abstract: A cathode ray tube having a cathode and first, second and third grid electrodes, is biased "on" to allow an electron current I.sub.K to flow from the cathode to the second and third grid electrodes. During a test period of predetermined length, the peak value of cathode current is stored as a reference measurement I.sub.kp and the cathode current I.sub.k is continuously monitored and compared with I.sub.kp. A failure indication is provided if the magnitude of I.sub.kp - I.sub.k exceeds a predetermined value at any time during the test period.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope including a plurality of spaced, parallel support walls extending and substantially perpendicular to flat, substantially parallel front and back walls to provide a plurality of parallel channels extending along the front and back walls. Between each of the support walls and the back wall are a plurality of longitudinally spaced spacer members, each of which has a ledge projecting into an adjacent channel but spaced from the back wall. Within each of the channels is an assembly which includes a pair of spaced, parallel focusing guide grid plates. One of the grid plates has spring tabs at spaced points along its edges which tabs fit under the ledges of the spacer members to hold the assembly in fixed position with respect to the back wall. The other grid plate has spaced location tabs along its edges which engage the spacer members to align the assembly in the channel with respect to the support walls.

Abstract: A variable density optical filter and method of making the filter are disclosed. The filter may be one of three filters used to expose a photosensitive coating in forming a color picture tube screen. The density of the filter varies in accordance with measured clipping and leaving tolerance of a completed tube formed without use of the filter.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope includes a transparent front panel having a cathodoluminescent screen thereupon and a back panel interconnectably sealed to the front panel. The back has a plurality of cathode stripes thereon. A plurality of vanes, spaced from and parallel to each other, extend between the front and back panels orthogonal to the cathode stripes. Electrodes to control the operation of the device are formed directly on the vanes. Any two adjacent vanes form an electron multiplier in which a self sustaining source of electrons is created only at a location along the vanes which is determined by the proper energizing of the cathode stripe at that location.

Abstract: Electrical continuity between two points is measured by electrically connecting a diode between the two points. A dc voltage is applied across the diode, with the positive voltage being connected to the anode of the diode and the negative voltage being connected to the cathode. The largest voltage which appears across the two measurement points is equal to the voltage drop across the diode. An operational amplifier senses and amplifies the voltage appearing between the two measurement points. If this voltage exceeds a certain maximum value, a light emitting diode is turned on to indicate that there is no continuity between the measurement points.

Abstract: In the tube gun, at least one of the two electrode grids nearest the screen has extensions on opposite sides of its apertures to distort an electrostatic field formed by the grid to at least partially compensate for distortion of an electron beam in the magnetic deflection field.

Abstract: A vacuum tube includes a cylindrical cathode around which a frusto-conical control grid extends. The control grid, which is made out of Phosnic bronze, has its larger diameter end attached to the smaller end of a first hollow truncated copper cone. A cylindrical Phosnic bronze screen grid extends coaxially around the control grid. One end of the screen grid is attached to the smaller diameter end of a second hollow truncated cone. The second cone extends around the first cone and is made out of a copper clad alloy of cobalt, nickel and iron. An anode encircles the screen grid.

Abstract: An evacuated envelope has a rectangular display section and a gun section at one side of the display section. The display section includes rectangular front and back walls in closely spaced, substantially parallel relation, and a plurality of spaced, substantially parallel support walls between the front and back walls forming a plurality of parallel channels. The gun section extends across one end of the channels and includes gun structure which will selectively direct one or more electron beams along each of the channels. In each of the channels is a beam guide which confines the electrons of the beam but permits selective deflection of the electron beam out of the guide toward a phosphor screen on the inner surface of the front wall. The beam guide includes spaced, parallel conductors on the inner surface of the back wall extending transversely across the channels and a plurality of electrodes on the surfaces of walls which extend from the back wall toward the front wall.

Abstract: A shadow mask type of cathode ray tube is improved by corrugation of the mask and support of the corrugated mask at points of inflection at the edges of the mask.

Abstract: A method for depositing a layer in which the concentration of constituent materials varies through its thickness employs a radio frequency sputtering apparatus. The deposition apparatus has a target composed of different component materials for the layer. The substrate is placed within the deposition apparatus and moved to various positions with respect to the target during the deposition.

Abstract: A sheet containing the apertures to be filled is coated with a layer of crystalline material. A localized heat source heats small portions of the layer at a time. The crystalline material in each portion is melted and allowed to flow into the apertures. The localized heat source is then moved to heat a different portion of the crystalline layer. In this fashion the layer of crystalline material is scanned with the localized heat source so that the crystalline material melts, flows into the apertures to be filled and then recrystallizes.

Abstract: A mask type color picture tube has a mask electrode attached to a peripheral frame having an L-shaped cross-section which is suspended within the tube adjacent a screen of the tube. The mask includes a curved apertured portion. At least an outer area of the apertured portion lies in a curved plane that passes substantially behind a part of the frame closest to the screen.