Amplification of Low Light Level Optical Signals by Preferential Integration in Imaging Tubes

摘要

A preferential integration technique is described which permits the selective amplification of low light level signals with a simultaneous suppression of bright signals, optical backgrounds and tube dark currents. This unique technique extends the in frame dynamic range of imaging tubes by over one magnitude with a significant improvement in the threshold sensitivity. Preferential integration permits handling signals as weak as a 0.05 signal to peak-to-peak noise ratio. Improvements of the tubes' modulation transfer function is a direct consequence of the increase in the signal to noise ratio and the suppression of dark levels. The preferential integration technique is applicable to all types of electron beam scanning imaging tubes. (Author)