Exemplary metamaterial photocathodes enable detection of light from visible through long wave infrared wavelengths. Metamaterial stacks, comprising gold, silicon, and cesium-oxide, coupled to a semiconductor allow hot electrons to efficiently enter a vacuum. The hot electrons are multiplied in a multichannel plate and directly through another vacuum towards a phosphorus screen.

Exemplary metamaterial photocathodes enable detection of light from visible through long wave infrared wavelengths. Metamaterial stacks, comprising gold, silicon, and cesium-oxide, coupled to a semiconductor allow hot electrons to efficiently enter a vacuum. The hot electrons are multiplied in a multichannel plate and directly through another vacuum towards a phosphorus screen.

The invention relates to a semi-transparent photocathode (1) for a photon detector having an increased absorption rate for a preserved transport rate. According to the invention, the photocathode (1) includes a transmission diffraction grating (30) able to diffract said photons and provided in the support layer (10) on which the photoemissive layer (20) is deposited.

The invention relates to a semi-transparent photocathode (1) for a photon detector having an increased absorption rate for a preserved transport rate. According to the invention, the photocathode (1) includes a transmission diffraction grating (30) able to diffract said photons and provided in the support layer (10) on which the photoemissive layer (20) is deposited.

A bias-variant photomultiplier tube (PMT) includes a photocathode that when operating absorbs photons and emits photoelectrons responsive to the absorbed photons. The bias-variant PMTO also includes a plurality of dynodes that receive the photoelectrons emitted by the photocathode. The plurality of dynodes include a first pair of dynodes having a first bias difference and at least a second pair of dynodes having a second bias difference. The second bias difference is greater than the first bias difference. The bias-variant PMTO also includes an anode to receive photoelectrons directed from the plurality of dynodes.

A bias-variant photomultiplier tube (PMT) includes a photocathode that when operating absorbs photons and emits photoelectrons responsive to the absorbed photons. The bias-variant PMTO also includes a plurality of dynodes that receive the photoelectrons emitted by the photocathode. The plurality of dynodes include a first pair of dynodes having a first bias difference and at least a second pair of dynodes having a second bias difference. The second bias difference is greater than the first bias difference. The bias-variant PMTO also includes an anode to receive photoelectrons directed from the plurality of dynodes.

A photoelectric-surface electron source includes: a glass substrate that receives laser light from a substrate light-receiving surface including microlenses and that focuses the laser light toward a substrate main surface located on the opposite side from the substrate light-receiving surface; a photoelectric surface that is provided to the substrate main surface, and that receives the focused laser light and emits photoelectrons; and an extraction electrode that is fixed to the substrate main surface and that extracts the photoelectrons from the photoelectric surface. The extraction electrode is disposed away from the photoelectric surface along the normal direction of the substrate main surface and has: an electrode part in which electrode holes for allowing the photoelectrons to pass therethrough are provided; and a frame part that is fixed to a region surrounding the photoelectric surface in the substrate main surface.

The invention relates to a photocathode including an input window (210) suitable for receiving a flow of incident photons, and an active layer (230), the active layer consisting of a plurality of elementary layers (2301, 2302) made of semiconductor materials having decreasing forbidden bandwidths in the direction of the flow of incident photons. The surface of the photocathode opposite the input window is structured so that each elementary layer of the active layer has its own photoelectric emission surface (2401, 2402). By choosing the semiconductor materials of the elementary layers, it is possible to obtain an image which has high sensitivity in both the visible spectrum and the near infrared.

The invention relates to a photocathode including an input window (210) suitable for receiving a flow of incident photons, and an active layer (230), the active layer consisting of a plurality of elementary layers (2301, 2302) made of semiconductor materials having decreasing forbidden bandwidths in the direction of the flow of incident photons. The surface of the photocathode opposite the input window is structured so that each elementary layer of the active layer has its own photoelectric emission surface (2401, 2402). By choosing the semiconductor materials of the elementary layers, it is possible to obtain an image which has high sensitivity in both the visible spectrum and the near infrared.

In-situ methods for the batch fabrication of flat-panel micro-channel plate (MCP) photomultiplier tube (PMT) detectors (MCP-PMTs), without transporting either the window or the detector assembly inside a vacuum vessel are provided. The method allows for the synthesis of a reflection-mode photocathode on the entrance to the pores of a first MCP or the synthesis of a transmission-mode photocathode on the vacuum side of a photodetector entrance window.