Semiconductor devices

Claim 1

IN A VACUUM TUBE SUCH AS AN ELECTRON BEAM SEMICONDUCTOR AMPLIFER INCLUDING A SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTAL HAVING A P-N JUCTION TARGET AREA ADAPTED TO BE BOMBARDED WITH ELECTRONS, AN ELECTRON BEAM SOURCE SPACED FROM SAID TARGET AREA AND ADAPTED TO GENERATE A BEAM OF ELECTRONS OF SUFFICIENT INTENSITY AS TO GIVE OFF X-RAYS INCIDENTAL TO BOMBARDMENT OF THE TARGET AREA WITH SUCH BEAM OF ELECTRONS, AND A DEFLECTION SYSTEM BETWEEN SAID SOURCE AND SAID TARGET AREA TO DEFLECT AND ELECTRON BEAM TO BOMBARD SAID TARGET AREA, AND AN OXIDE INSULATION LAYER ON THE CRYSTAL, THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL OF THE CRYSTAL AND THE OXIDE INSULATION LAYER BEING SENSITIVE TO X-RAYS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID CRYSTAL INCLUDES A PLANAR SURFACE, THE OXIDE INSULATION LAYER BEING FORMED ON SAID PLANAR SURFACE TO DEFINE A PLANAR X-RAY SENSITIVE INTERFACE AND SAID P-N JUNCTION BEING FORMED AT SAID PLANAR SURFACE TO DEFINE A PLANAR TARGET AREA SPACED FROM SAID X-RAY SENSITIVE INTERFACE, AND A BARRIER OF X-RAYS ABSORBENT MATERIAL IS PROVIDED IN A DIRECT LINE BETWEEN THE INTERFACE DEFINING SAID TARGET AREA AND THE X-RAY SENSITIVE INTERFACE.