An electromagnetic radiation detector includes an inlet window intended to receive a stream of incident photons, as well as a photocathode in the form of a semiconductive layer. A conductive layer is deposited on the downstream face of the inlet window and a thin dielectric layer is disposed between the conductive layer and the semiconductive layer. The conductive layer is brought to a potential below that of the semiconductive layer so as to drive the photoelectrons out of the recombination zone and consequently improve the quantum yield of the photocathode.

A night vision system along with an image intensifier tube and method for forming the tube are provided. The night vision system incorporates the image intensifier tube in both an analog channel as well as a digital channel, with an addressable display within the analog image intensifier tube analog channel configured to create an electronically addressable output. An analog image intensifier tube is included in the digital imager for presenting binary digital signals representative of an image, or of symbol indicia, and registering those digital representation from the digital imager onto one or more electron multipliers of the analog image intensifier tube within the analog channel. The provided night vision system also utilizes a cathodoluminescent screen, which is a highly efficient light source that reduces system power.

A method of controlling the performance of a night vision device includes storing, in memory of the night vision device, a plurality of performance configuration parameters, and after the storing, applying at least one of a hardware lock and a software lock to the night vision device such that at least some of the plurality of performance configuration parameters stored in the memory cannot be changed.

An image intensifier is provided in which a thin film (090) is arranged between an output surface of the electron multiplier (040) and the phosphorous screen. The thin film is a semi-conductor or insulator with a crystalline structure comprising a band gap equal or larger than 1 eV, wherein the crystalline structure has a carrier diffusion length equal or larger than 50% of the thickness of the thin film. In addition, the thin film has an anode directed surface which has a negative electron affinity. By way of provisioning a thin film of the above type in the image intensifier, an improvement in mean transfer function of the overall image intensifier is obtained.

A monocrystalline scintillator comprises a monocrystal and an optical plate wherein a first side of the monocrystal is adhered to the optical plate. The monocrystal comprises at least one of a rare earth garnet, a perovskite crystal, a rare-earth silicate, and a monocrystal oxysulphide. The scintillator assembly includes an adhesive adhering the optical plate to the first side of the monocrystal. The adhesive can comprise an ultra-high vacuum compatible adhesive. The adhesive is substantially transparent and has a refractive index matching the optical plate. The scintillator assembly can also include a reflective coating on the second side of the monocrystal. The monocrystalline scintillator assembly can be incorporated in a microchannel plate image intensifier tube to provide improved spatial resolution and temporal response.

Night vision systems that are compact in size due to one or more of the design of the optical system and light detector module.

An image intensifier sensor for acquiring, amplifying and displaying images and including a vacuum envelope, the image intensifier sensor including a photocathode arranged for releasing photoelectrons into the vacuum envelope upon electromagnetic radiation acquired from the images which impinges the photocathode, an anode, spaced apart from and in facing relationship with the photocathode, arranged for receiving the photoelectrons and converting the photoelectrons for displaying the images on the basis thereof, and a power supply unit for providing power to the image intensifier sensor, wherein the image intensifier sensor further includes potting material, wherein the potting material comprises a foam compound.

A method of making leak tight electrical connections through the wall of a ceramic package, for example a ceramic package used on an image intensifier tube. The method comprises a hole metallisation step (500) to obtain vias, the metallisation step comprising the deposition of a bond layer (510), a diffusion barrier (520) acting as a metallic base layer and a wetting agent (530). For each via, a filler metal preform made of indium or a eutectic chosen from among InSn, AuSn, AuGe, AgSn is deposited (540) on each orifice and is heated to a temperature higher than its melting temperature (550) such that the molten filler metal closes off the via to make it leak tight.

A methodology, for night vision equipment, includes enabling an automatic brightness control (ABC) procedure for a light intensifier having a photocathode that automatically selects a voltage to be applied to the photocathode, sensing current being drawn by the anode, when the current being drawn by the anode exceeds a predetermined threshold, shutting down the photocathode, disabling the ABC procedure, and storing, as a stored voltage value, a value of a voltage that had been selected by the ABC procedure when the current exceeded the predetermined threshold. After a first predetermined period of time, applying a voltage to the photocathode in accordance with the stored voltage value, and after a second predetermined period of time re-enabling the ABC procedure and selecting the stored voltage value as the voltage to be applied to the photocathode.

A method of manufacturing a multi-layer image intensifier wafer includes fabricating first and second glass wafers, each having an array of cavities that extend between respective openings in first and second surfaces of the respective glass wafer; doping a semiconductor wafer to generate a plurality of electrons for each electron that impinges a first surface of the semiconductor wafer and to direct the plurality of electrons to a second surface of the semiconductor wafer, bonding a photo-cathode wafer to the first glass wafer; bonding the semiconductor wafer between the first and second glass wafers, and bonding the second glass wafer between the semiconductor wafer and an anode wafer (e.g., a phosphor screen or other electron detector). A section of the multi-layer image intensifier wafer may be sliced and evacuated to provide a multi-layer image intensifier.