GB1200804A - Imaging matrix structure - Google Patents

Abstract

1,200,804. Semi-conductor imaging device. RANK XEROX Ltd. 28 Sept., 1967 [29 Sept., 1966], No. 44123/67. Heading H1K. An insulating support has a plurality of mutually insulated conductive elements embedded in the support, a first set of ends of the conductive elements being coplanar with one surface of the support and the other set of ends protruding from the support and a layer of field-effect semi-conductor material overlying the planar surface having the first set of ends. An electrode 51 supports a uniformly electrostatically charged paper sheet 19 in contact with the protruding pins of a pin matrix 5. A semi-conductor layer 9 of CdS, CdSe, As 2 S 3 or ZnO lies adjacent the pin layer and is built up by sputtering or evaporation. An insulating layer 13 of SiO or MgF 2 is evaporated on to the semi-conductor layer 9. If a charge pattern, either of one polarity or two polarities, is formed on the surface of layer 13 then the charge and the surface will act like a "gate" in a F.E.T. and will transfer charge from one place to another on the sheet 19 via the pins and the semi-conductor layer 9, thus producing a redistribution of the electrostatic charge on sheet 19 which corresponds to the charge pattern on 13. In a modification (Fig. 5, not shown) the semi-conductor and the insulating layer are replaced by a photo-conductive insulating layer e.g. ZnO, PbO or CdO. A composition of ZnO, copoly styrene-butadiene, chlorinated paraffin and a mixture of dyestuffs is deposited on the pin matrix or zinc is sputtered or evaporated on and subsequently oxidized. The charge pattern may be formed on the surface of layer 13 by: (a) using an electron gun to sweep the surface, (b) corona discharge with the pin matrix grounded and a shaped conductive screen interposed between the discharge and the surface or (c) dielectric breakdown between the surface and a shaped conductor with the pin matrix grounded.