Device for measuring extremely diminished intensity of light

Claim 1

A device for measuring an extremely diminished intensity of light comprising: a stimulus signal source which stimulates an object being measured so as to repetitively emit light pulses at predetermined timing intervals; a streaking tube including a photoelectric layer for converting said repetitive light pulses to corresponding electric signals; a deflection electrode for generating a deflection electric field for deflecting a single photoelectron; a micro-channel-plate consisting of curved micro-channels for multiplying said single photoelectron so as to generate a plurality of electrons at the output thereof, the distribution of said electrons having a narrow half-value centered at a predetermined frequency of occurrence; a phosphor layer stimulated by electrons at the output of said micro-channel-plate, a spot having approximately the same brightness for each of said single photoelectrons being formed on the surface of said phosphor layer whereby the brightness of said spot corresponds to the number of multiplied electrons; a deflection circuit for applying, to said deflection electrode, a sweeping voltage synchronized with the stimulating signal issued from said stimulus signal source; and detecting means for detecting the brightness of said spot on the phosphor layer of said streaking tube by means of photoelectric conversion, said detecting means being a television imaging device wherein the horizontal trace thereof extends orthogonally to the direction of deflection of said streaking tube.

Claim 2

A device for measuring an extremely diminished intensity of light comprising: a stimulus signal source which stimulates an object being measured so as to repetitively emit light pulses at predetermined timing intervals; a streaking tube including a photoelectric layer for converting said repetitive light pulses to corresponding electric signals; a deflection electrode for generating a deflection electric field for deflecting a single photoelectron; a micro-channel-plate consisting of curved micro-channels for multiplying said single photoelectron so as to generate a plurality of electrons at the output thereof, the distribution of said electrons having a narrow half-value centered at a predetermined frequency of occurrence; a phosphor layer stimulated by electrons at the output of said micro-channel-plate, a spot having approximately the same brightness for each of said single photoelectrons being formed on the surface of said phosphor layer whereby the brightness of said spot corresponds to the number of multiplied electrons; a deflection circuit for applying, to said deflection electrode, a sweeping voltage synchronized with the stimulating signal issued from said stimulus signal source; and detecting means for detecting the brightness of said spot on the phosphor layer of said streaking tube by means of photoelectric conversion, said detecting means being a television imaging device wherein the horizontal trace thereof extends orthogonally to the direction of deflection of said streaking tube.