night vision image intensifier tube

2021-09-18

Image Intensifier is the main part of the most commercially available night vision devises such as binoculars, monoculars, goggles and weapon sights. Image intensifiers also prove to be usefull in industrial, scientific and military areas, anywhere light amplification is required. 

An image intensifier tube is a device that intensifies (or amplifies) low light level images to levels that can be seen with the human eye or detected by digital image sensors. All modern I2 tubes consist of three main components, a photocathode, a Microchannel Plate (MCP) and a phosphor screen. The characteristics of each component, as well as the careful consideration of any available options, will contribute to the overall quality of the resulting image.

The phosphor screen is a thin phosphorous light emitting layer deposited on the inside of the output window of the intensifier tube (usually fiber optics) which converts the electrons back into photons. When the multiplied flow of electrons out of the MCP strike that layer, tens of thousands of photons will be generated for every single photon that was initially converted by the photocathode. This entire multistage process creates an “intensified” image, much brighter than the original image, which can subsequently be seen by the human eye.