photocathode
Noun
Meaning
a cathode that emits electrons when illuminated
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Antonyms
Hypernyms
Examples
An image intensifier inherently includes a shutter functionality: If the control voltage between the photocathode and the MCP is reversed, the emitted photoelectrons are not accelerated towards the MCP but return to the photocathode.
The process of reversing the control voltage at the photocathode is called gating and therefore ICCDs are also called gateable CCD cameras.
This is known as the electron affinity of the photocathode and is another barrier to photoemission other than the forbidden band, explained by the band gap model.
The photons which are coming from the light source fall onto the photocathode, thereby generating photoelectrons.