Binary-Addressable Scan Conversion Storage Tube.

摘要

The objective of the contract was to conduct a research and development program leading to the fabrication, testing, and delivery of a binary-addressable scan converter storage tube. The device was to be capable of simultaneous write and non-destructive read operation at video frequencies up to 10 megahertz. A major portion of the effort was devoted toward fabrication of perforated switch-plates. The final device requires six such plates. Each plate had a 512 x 512 array of 0.001 inch-diameter holes on 0.003 inch centers and a unique control-electrode geometry which allowed selection of any one of the holes in the array. The remainder of the effort was devoted toward fabricating a storage target which prevented cross-talk between the reading or writing beams. This target was made up of any array of gold plugs uniformly dispersed in an Al203 substrate such that a single plug was aligned to each hole or electron lenslet in the digitizing matrix. A prototype device was fabricated and operated. It proved the feasibility of fabricating the digitizing matrix and maintaining alignment from switch-plate to switch-plate. In addition, it pointed out several shortcomings of the double-ended gun design, in that flood-gun currents were too low and field-flattening mesh capacities were much too high for 10 megahertz operation. Other possible techniques of supplying the flood-beam to the digitizer-stack are discussed.