Vidicon Tube

A vidicon tube (sometimes called a hivicon tube) is a video camera tube design in which the target material is a photoconductor. The Vidicon was developed in the 1950s at RCA by PK Weimer, SV Forgue and RR Goodrich as a simple alternative to the structurally and electrically complex Image Orthicon. While the initial photoconductor used was Selenium, other targets -- including silicon diode arrays -- have been used.

Vidicon
The vidicon is a storage-type camera tube in which a charge-density pattern is formed by the imaged scene radiation on a photoconductive surface which is then scanned by a beam of low-velocity electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
s. The fluctuating voltage coupled out to a video amplifier
Amplifier

Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is any machine that changes, usually increases, the amplitude of a Signal . The "signal" is usually voltage or current....
can be used to reproduce the scene being imaged. The electrical charge produced by an image will remain in the face plate until it is scanned or until the charge dissipates.



Pyroelectric photocathode
Photocathode

A photocathode is a negatively charged electrode in a light detection device such as a photomultiplier or phototube that is coated with a photosensitive compound....
s can be used to produce a vidicon sensitive over a broad portion of the infrared
Infrared

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves ....
spectrum.

Prior to the design and construction of Galileo probe to Jupiter
Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the Solar system by size planet within the Solar System. It is two and a half times as massive as all of the other planets in our Solar System combined....
in the late 70s, NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
used Vidicon camera on most of their unmanned deep space probes equipped with the remote sensing ability