Generations of Night Vision – A Sneak Peek!
Night
vision devices are specifically designed for offering an ability to see
in low-light conditions especially nights. The original purpose of
night vision devices is to locate enemy targets during nights. Besides
that military personnel use night visions for navigation and
surveillance purposes. There are many other uses of night vision devices
than military purposes.
With
time and technology advancement, night vision devices also advanced and
today there are three generations of night vision. So let us check out
the generations below –
Gen 0 Night Vision
The
first ever night vision device picked up at the end of the World War II
was created using the anode image intensifier tubes with S-1
photocathode. The large infrared spotlights were used for illuminating
targets. As the technology was not that advanced at that time
significant light amplification could not be incorporated to produce
operational low light images.
Gen
0 Night Vision was developed by the US Army. These devices are
derivatives of the Gen 0 active devices with a difference i.e. these did
not required infrared spotlight for operation. The Gen 1 night vision
devices were built using an S-20 photocathode having higher light
sensitivity. The devices relied on ambient light and have the power to
amplify available light around 1000x.
Gen
2 Night Vision devices were one of the major breakthroughs in
technology when compared to Gen 0 and Gen 1 night vision devices. The
image intensifier tubes of Gen 2 night vision devices are based on
micro-channel plate, which is a honeycomb-like wafer designed for
trapping photons and increasing their number as they pass through it.
These devices also comprise of an S-25 photocathode that has greater
light sensitivity. All these technological improvements led to a much
brighter night vision image with better resolution and light
amplification capability of around 20,000x, which allowed the devices to
function even in almost complete darkness and moonless nights.
Now
came the latest and most advanced generation of night vision devices
i.e. the Gen 3 Night Vision. The Gen 3 devices also make use of the
Micro Channel Plate (MCP) that was developed for the Gen 2. The key
advancement that makes Gen 3 night vision devices an advanced and better
option is a gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode that improves light
amplification and system resolution in a great manner. To enhance the
life of the image intensifier tube, the Micro Channel Plate in Gen 3
devices is coated with an ion barrier film. However, due to the barrier
effectiveness of MCP reduces to some extent as it allows fewer photons
to pass through it. The “halo” effect observed during the bright light
exposure is also because of the ion barrier. The Gen 3 night vision
devices have light amplification ability around 30,000 to 50,000. Isn’t
that great!
If
you are looking for night vision goggles or any other night vision
device, then make sure to go for the Gen 3 options for better
experience.
Conclusion:
NightVision4Less.com
offers a wide range of Gen 3 Night Vision devices including goggles,
monoculars, binoculars and more. To find out more visit https://www.nightvision4less.com/gen-3-night-vision.aspx
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