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Three principles of building high sensitive (low-level) converters of a TV-type are well known. They are based on the following: (1) usage of electron-optical image converters (IC) as input image amplifiers and its converting into a TV signal by commercial TV cameras (Fig. 1a); (2) location in a single vacuum volume of a receiving input part of IC with a diode silicon substrate -- a storage target -- in which a photoelectric image is being amplified (amplification factor is 100 . . . 300) and then is read out by an electron beam with the energy corresponding with the condition (sigma) less than 1 ((sigma) -- secondary electron emission coefficient). The converter developed on the base of this principal has got the name of superkremnikon (a super silicon-imaging device) (Fig. 1b); (3) location in a single vacuum volume of a receiving part of IC, amplification microchannel plate (MCP) with amplification factor 100 . . . 1000 and a CCD with amplification equal to 100 (Fig. 1c). One should take into account the following disadvantages of the above-mentioned devices of a TV-type: (1) not high linear resolution of an input image, caused by multiple conversion of an input image - - (2.2 . . . 3.5)(DOT)102 lines in the middle of a target; (2) inadequately high sensitivity, defined basically by optical losses. Limiting sensitivity within the visible range has been realized at superkremnikon (10-7 lx) coupled with an input IC through fiber-optical communication; (4) high cost of the converters, which is limiting their wide practical application for the purposes of medical diagnostics and non- destructive control. The alternative principle of building the high sensitive converters of a TV-type, based on a new method of energy radiation image conversion within a wide spectral range into an electrical (including TV) signal is proposed. In the frames of the new method the MCP is operating at the same time as a receiver, an amplifier and a two-sided storage target on reading out. A conventional image of the converter is given.
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