Hughes Aircraft Company

Nobuo J Koda

William P Bleha

Jan Grinberg

Murray S Welkowsky

Arno G Ledebuhr

Stephen J Reinsch

Paul F Robusto

Phillip G Reif

Harry W Giehll

An electron beam addressed crystal light valve (LCLV) produces an AC voltage across a liquid crystal layer from a single polarity electron beam, and exhibits very high resolution. A mirror and a thin layer of partially conductive material are deposited on a support membrane on the electron beam side of the liquid crystal. The partially conductive layer is divided into a series of pixel elements by a conductive matrix which faces the electron beam. Electrons from the beam are absorbed by the partially conductive layer to establish a negative voltage across the liquid crystal, and then flow out to the conductive matrix to produce an AC voltage prior to the next electron beam scan. The conductive matrix is connected in circuit with a transparent electrode which provides a voltage reference on the readout side of the liquid crystal. The elements of the device are designed with electrical parameters that produce a discharge rate from the partially conductive layer fast enough to complete an AC cycle between successive electron beam scans, but slow enough for the liquid crystal to respond and produce an image.

Electron beam addressed liquid crystal light valve

A compact, full color, light projection system using a liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) and a unique combination of optical devices. The LCLV operates to modulate a light beam which has been polarized by one of the optical devices. The modulated light beam is converged and registered by other optical devices to form the output image.

Liquid crystal light value color projector

Disclosed is an infrared radiation (IR) sensor and imaging tube employing same wherein the sensor includes a pyroelectric substrate having a conductive layer of infrared radiation absorbing material on one surface thereof. An electron-emissive metallic grid is disposed on the opposite surface of the pyroelectric substrate and is configured to expose predefined discrete areas of the pyroelectric substrate at which radiation-dependent voltages are developed. These voltages permit the metallic grid to emit electrons in quantity proportional to the infrared radiation received by the radiation absorbing material and the pyroelectric substrate. This IR sensor may advantageously be incorporated in a thermal imaging tube which includes means for flooding the grid surface of the pyroelectric substrate with photons and means for accelerating electrons emitted therefrom to a suitable target, such as a charge coupled device (CCD), a phosphor, a silicon intensified target (SIT), or other suitable electron collector.

Pyroelectric radiation sensor and imaging device utilizing same

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Vista, CA, United States of America

Nobuo J Koda