Current developments in position-sensitive hybrid photon detectors and photo-multiplier tubes have stimulated increased interest from a variety of fields such as astronomy, biomedical imaging and high-energy physics. These devices are sensitive to single photons over a photon energy spectrum defined by the transmission of the optical entrance window and the photo-cathode type. Their spatial resolution ranges from a few millimeters for pad hybrid photon detectors and multi-anode photo-multiplier tubes down to a few tens of microns for pixel hybrid photon detectors and electron-bombarded charge-coupled devices. Basic technological and design aspects are assessed in this paper. The performance of such devices in terms of gain, intrinsic speed, single and multiple photon counting capability, active-to-total area ratio, and magnetic field sensitivity are discussed. Specific problems related to the particular front-end and readout electronics requirements are outlined. Examples of applications are given.
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