Abstract: A microchannel plate for secondary electron emission intensification, having channel walls which are rounded so as to increase the interception of secondary electrons formed due to the incidence of primary electrons on the ends of the said channel walls.According to the invention, the method of manufacturing such a channel plate consists of softening the channel wall material and by bombardment of the glass of the input surface by means of an energy-carrying beam of high power for a very short period of time. The glass of the walls at the input surface side then assumes a rounded shape under the influence of gravity and the surface stress of the glass.

Abstract: The invention relates to secondary-emissive microchannels which are bent to a given extent on the output side of the electrons. The said bending serves to restrict the areas where the electrons contact the channel walls to a small zone at the end of the electron multiplication and before the departure of the secondary electrons. The energy of the output electrons is thus dispersed very little.The emission of electrons can then be controlled by means of low electrical voltages which can be readily switched. The said partially curved microchannels are incorporated in electron tubes in the advantage of the ease of control, is utilized.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing image display apparatus having a photocathode which is proximity focussed with respect to a micro-channel plate, comprising the steps of: positioning a photocathode substrate adjacent to the input face of a microchannel plate, the substrate having a surface facing the microchannel plate which may be altered by ion radiation bombardment; directing ion radiation from the channels of the microchannel plate by imposing a suitable voltage potential across the microchannel plate in a vacuum atmosphere to alter the surface of the substrate in a pattern of individual areas corresponding to the channels of the microchannel plate; forming a bowl-shaped photo-emissive recess at each of the altered individual areas; and spacing the substrate from the microchannel plate by a distance which results in each bowl-shaped photo-emissive recess being proximity focussed on the input aperture of the same channel that defined the individual area at which the bowl-shaped photo-emissive recess was formed.