"Ebsicon" is the generic name for any camera tube which contains a photoelectron-bombarded silicon diode array target. Following a description of the motivation for and the development of a large-format Ebsicon (one containing an 80 mm photocathode and a 32 mm silicon target), the features of the device are presented. Emphasis is placed on the point-source performance of the tube in terms of the achieved point-source image cell density and the point-source response fall-off away from the center of the scanned area. Photocathode requirements are discussed in the context of the expected performance of the Air Force's up-coming Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) system. Then, field measurements for exposure times of 0.6 and 1/30 second, using G-type stars, are described and compared to the projected performance of a GEODSS electro-optical sensor. Finally, a list is presented of additional, important, and measured features of delivered, large-format Ebsicons.

Date Published: 12 December 1979
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 0203, Recent Advances in TV Sensors and Systems, (12 December 1979); doi: 10.1117/12.958118

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0203:
Recent Advances in TV Sensors and Systems
Charles Freeman, Editor(s)