A 512 channel parallel-output detector

A detector system based on an imaging tube with 512 parallel-output channels is briefly described. The tube has a photocathode as an electron source on one end and a one-dimensional monolithic diode array as a detector on the other end. The linear array is 29 x 5 sq mm in size and has 512 diodes of 38 x 500 sq microns each with a center-to-center spacing of 48 microns (plus or minus 1 micron). The sensitivity of the system depends only on the quantum efficiency of the photocathode; the power consumption is only 4 mW per channel, which produces negligible heat and permits a high package density.