Progress toward a twystrode with a gated FEA cathode
- Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States). Electronic Science and Technology Div.
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Lexington, MA (United States). Lincoln Lab.; and others
Inductive output amplifiers (IOAs) such as twystrodes and klystrodes use an emission-gated beam in which the emission current density is modulated. Although emission gating offers clear advantages in efficiency and compactness, it makes stringent demands on the cathode structures where the gating occurs. Recent improvements in gated field-emitter array (FEA) technology provide a new alternative to thermionic electron sources for emission gating at frequencies above UHF; this new opportunity, however, is subject to the integration of FEA technology into the vacuum-tube environment. The gain, efficiency, and power output of an inductive output amplifier are contingent upon the current-voltage characteristic and high-frequency impedance of the gated cathode. A model, called the end-to-end analysis, has been developed to examine quantitatively the design specifications for such cathodes. The authors present a specific set of design curves for an IOA (a twystrode) having a field-emission cathode, leading to recommendations for mutual optimization of the FEA and the output circuit of the IOA. Progress in the realization of an experimental twystrode based on these guidelines is described, including perveance, focusing, and beam quality considerations.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Office of Naval Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 423031
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960634--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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