The high detection quantum efficiency (DQE) is the main requirement for an imagerecording system used in electron microscopy of radiation-sensitive specimens. An electronic TV system of the type shown in Fig. 1 fulfills these conditions and can be used for either analog or digital image storage and processing [1], Several sources of noise may reduce the DQE, and therefore a careful selection of various elements is imperative.The noise of target and of video amplifier can be neglected when the converter stages produce sufficient target electrons per incident primary electron. The required gain depends on the type of the tube and also on the type of the signal processing chosen. For EBS tubes, for example, it exceeds 10. The ideal case, in which all impinging electrons create uniform charge peaks at the target, is not obtainable for several reasons, and these will be discussed as they relate to a system with a scintillator, fiber-optic and photo-cathode combination as the first stage.
