Abstract: An image pickup tube is provided with the third electrode to control the potential of the region which is not scanned by an electron beam in the image pickup tube target section including a target electrode and a photo-conductive film. A method for operating this image pickup tube is also disclosed. Thus, undesired image phenomena which are generated when the image pickup tube is used with a relatively high target voltage, e.g., image distortion, shading, a waterfall phenomenon and image inversion phenomenon can be suppressed, thereby realizing a high sensitivity image pickup tube.

Abstract: A photoconductive device having a photoconductive layer which includes an amorphous semiconductor layer capable of charge multiplication in at least a part thereof is disclosed. The method of operating such a photoconductive device is also disclosed. By using the avalanche effect of the amorphous semiconductor layer, it is possible to realize a highly sensitive photoconductive device while maintaining low lag property. In one aspect of the present invention, the amorphous semiconductor layer is amorphous Se. In another aspect of the present invention, the amorphous semiconductor layer is composed mainly of tetrahedral elements including at least an element of hydrogen or halogens. When using the amorphous semiconductor layer composed mainly of tetrahedral elements, the charge multiplication effect is produced mainly in the interior of the amorphous semiconductor, and thus it is possible to obtain a thermally stable photoconductive device having a high sensitivity while keeping a good photoresponse.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photoelectric conversion device which comprises: a photoconductive layer made of amorphous semiconductor material which shows charge multiplication and which converts photo signals into electric signals; and a substrate having electric circuits or the like (for example switching elements) for reading the electric signals. The amorphous semiconductor material used according to the invention shows the charge multiplication action under predetermined intensity of electric field so that a high sensitive photoelectric conversion device having a gain which is not smaller than 1 is realized.

Abstract: A photoconductive device having a transparent substrate, a transparent conductive film, a photoconductive film and a layer of an insulator provided on at least part of the substrate and of high thermal conductivity, and a method of operating the photoconductive device. Thus, especially, the temperature of a photoconductive film of an imaging device typical of an image pick-up tube or the photoconductive device which may be a one- or a two-dimensional image sensor or a photocell can be controlled precisely and efficiently.

Abstract: An image pick-up tube and a method of fabricating an image pick-up tube and a target section used therewith, in which the target includes at least a conductive film and a photoconductive film on a substrate for photo-electric conversion, and a signal from the target section is read by an electron beam scanning system. At least a part of the surface area outside the effective scanning region of the electron beam scanning side of the target section is formed of a secondary electron emission dampening layer.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device using an amorphous material composed mainly of tetrahedral elements including at least an element of hydrogen and halogens as semiconductor material is disclosed. When a strong electric field is applied to a layer formed by using this amorphous semiconductor, a charge multiplication effect is produced mainly in the interior of the amorphous semiconductor and thus it is possible to obtain a thermally stable photoelectric conversion device having a high sensitivity while keeping a good photoresponse.

Abstract: A photoconductive device having a photoconductive layer which includes an amorphous semiconductor layer capable of charge multiplication in at least a part thereof is disclosed. The method of operating such a photoconductive device is also disclosed. By using the avalanche effect of the amorphous semiconductor layer, it is possible to realize a highly sensitive photoconductive device while maintaining low lag property.

Abstract: A target of an image pickup tube is formed by laminating at least a transparent conductive film, an amorphous layer consisting essentially of silicon, and an amorphous layer consisting essentially of selenium in the above order on a light-transmitting substrate.

Abstract: A photoconductive device having a photoconductive layer which includes an amorphous semiconductor layer capable of charge multiplication in at least a part thereof is disclosed. The method of operating such a photoconductive device is also disclosed. By using the avalanche effect of the amorphous semiconductor layer, it is possible to realize a highly sensitive photoconductive device while maintaining low lag property.

Abstract: A light-detecting device for converting a light to an electrical signal utilizes a charge multiplication function and has a stable gain.The light-detecting device comprises a photo-electric conversion unit for converting a measurement light to an electrical signal, a power supply for applying an electric field to the photo-electric conversion unit, a light source for applying an incident light to the photo-electric conversion unit, signal detection means for detecting the charge converted by the photo-electric conversion unit based on the incident light from the light source, and signal hold means for holding the output signal of the signal detection means at a predetermined level.

Abstract: A method of making an image pickup tube target (FIG. 1A), etc., using an amorphous photoconductive layer. When an electrode, an amorphous semiconductor layer, etc., are provided on a substrate, the steps of ion etching away a surface of the substrate and forming the electrode are performed so that a target (FIG. 1A) is produced in which no defects are substantially caused in a reproduced image even if a high electric field is applied across the target.

Abstract: A target of an image pickup tube, having a transparent substrate, a transparent conductive film, a p-type photoconductive film made mainly from amorphous Se, and an n-type conductive film capable of forming a rectifying contact at the interface with the p-type photoconductive film, using the rectifying contact as a reverse bias, characterized in that the p-type photoconductive film containing at least a region having more than 35%, and to 60% by weight of Te in the film thickness direction, and at least a region containing 0.005 to 5% by weight of at least a material capable of forming shallow levels in the amorphous Se in the film thickness direction, has good after-image characteristics even if operated at a high temperature.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for driving image pick-up tubes in, particular, a color television camera or the like having more than one image pick-up tube and in particular to a method and an apparatus for driving image pick-up tubes in which the potentials of the cathode electrodes of the respective image pick-up tubes are set to the same common potential, the potential of the target electrode of at least one of the image pick-up tubes is set substantially to earth potential, target drive potentials are individually applied to the target electrodes of the other image pick-up tubes, and the target potential of each image pick-up tube is set to a value near the earth potential, so that a high S/N ratio is obtained. The driving appartatus can be miniaturized and easily driven. According to the invention, a capacitor, such as a chip capcitor or the like, with a low withstanding voltage can be used in a first-stage amplifier to amplify the video signal from the target electrode.

Abstract: An image pick-up tube target comprising an N-type conductive film formed on a transparent substrate, and P-type photoconductive film in rectifying contact with the N-type conductive film and comprising a first layer containing As, fluoride and Se, a second layer containing As, Te and Se, a portion of said second layer containing fluoride, a third layer containing As and Se, the composition of the third layer being different along the direction of thickness thereof, a fourth layer containing As and Se, wherein the concentration of As in the second layer varies continuously along the direction of thickness thereof, and in the second layer the minimum As concentration is located on the first layer side of the second layer and the maximum As concentration is located on the third layer side of the second layer.

Abstract: A structure of a photoconductive film related to a target of an image pickup tube of the photo conductivity type is disclosed. This photoconductive film is formed from mainly Se and Te is added in a central part thereof. Further, As, which is considered to form a deep trap level which captures electrons in Se and GaF.sub.3, etc. which form negative space charges by capturing electrons in Se are added in the region adjacent to the region where Te exists. In addition, a thickness of film in the region where GaF.sub.3, etc. exists is selected to be thinner (not smaller than 20 .ANG. and not larger than 90 .ANG.) than a value which has been adopted so far.

Abstract: A photoconductive image pick-up tube target comprises a transparent substrate, an N-type conductive film formed on the transparent substrate, and a P-type photoconductive film in rectifying contact with the N-type conductive film and containing Se, As and Te as sensitizer. The P-type photoconductive film includes a first layer contiguous to the N-type conductive film and containing 94.+-.1% by weight of Se and 6.+-.0.5% by weight of As, a second layer formed on the first layer and containing 64.+-.4% by weight of Se, 3.+-.0.5% by weight of As, and 33.+-.2% by weight of Te, a third layer formed on the second layer and containing Se and As, and a fluoride doped region extending over the first layer and a front half layer of the second layer and having a fluoride concentration of 0.1 to 3.0% by weight. The third layer has an As concentration which has a peak of 28.+-.1% by weight at a site contiguous to a rear half layer of the second layer and reduces gradually.

Abstract: A photoconductive film comprising a photo-conductive layer which is mainly made of selenium and a region added with tellurium in a direction of the thickness of the layer, wherein at least either one of a portion in a direction of hole flow of said region added with tellurium and a portion in the hole flow of another region which is located adjacent to said region added with tellurium is doped with at least one member selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a fluoride and elements which belong to the group II, III and VII, which are capable of forming a negative space charge in selenium, at a concentration in a range of 10 ppm to 1% by weight on an average. Typical examples of such oxide, fluoride and element include CuO, In.sub.2 O.sub.3, SeO.sub.2, V.sub.2 O.sub.5, MoO.sub.3, WO.sub.3, GaF.sub.2 InF.sub.3, Zn, Ga, In, Cl, I, Br and the like. The after image characteristic ascribable to incident light of high intensity can be significantly improved.

Abstract: A photoconductive image pick-up tube target comprising an N-type semiconductor film formed on a transparent substrate, and a P-type photoconductive film in rectifying contact with the N-type semiconductor film and containing Se and As and also Te as sensitizers. A layer of said P-type photoconductive film between the N-type semiconductor film and a Te-containing layer of the P-type photoconductive film has an As concentration distribution which is lower on the side of the N-type conductive film and higher on the side of the Te-containing layer.

Abstract: A photoconductive target having an electrode and a P-type conductive layer mainly made of Se and making rectifying contact at an interface with the electrode, with at least Te being doped in a portion of the P-type conductive layer. At least one metal fluoride forming shallow levels is doped in the region where the signal current is generated for the most part of the P-type conductive layer with an average concentration of not less than 50 ppm and not more than 5% by weight. The metal fluoride is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of LiF, NaF, MgF.sub.2, CaF.sub.2, BaF.sub.2, AlF.sub.3, CrF.sub.3, MnF.sub.2, CoF.sub.2, PbF.sub.2, CeF.sub.3 and TlF. The high light sticking of the photoconductive target can thus be considerably reduced.

Abstract: A photoelectric device comprises a signal electrode, a layer of amorphous photoconductor containing 50 atomic percent or more of selenium and an N-type semiconductor layer made of a material selected from the group consisting of oxygen depletion type cerium oxide and oxygen depletion type lead oxide and disposed therebetween, which has a thickness greater than 8 nm and up to and including 500 nm and a Fermi level located within an energy range of 0.2 to 0.8 eV from the bottom of a conduction band.