Flat display tube with addressable cathode

Claim 1

An electron display tube comprising an electrically insulating substrate, a first array of spaced uniform electrically conductive cathode strips mounted on one surface of said substrate, a second array of uniform electrically conductive grid strips arranged substantially orthogonal with said first array of cathode strips and containing apertures for passage of electrons emitted from said cathode strips, said grid strips being spaced from said cathode strips, an electron multiplier member spaced from said substrate and containing a multiplicity of apertures juxtaposed with the intersections of said cathode and grid strips, first supply means for providing an electric potential between a selected one of said grid strips sufficient to cause electron emission from the rEgion of the selected cathode strip juxtaposed with said selected grid strip, means for providing a potential difference across the multiplier member for producing secondary emission of electrons within channels juxtaposed with said region of electron emission, an optically transparent target spaced from said multiplier member and including a phosphor layer, and means for accelerating the electrons passing through said channels onto said phosphor layer to produce luminescence of the area of said layer aligned with said region of electron emission.