The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 27, 1990
Filed:
Apr. 14, 1988
Robert W Schumacher, Canoga Park, CA (US);
Julius Hyman, Jr, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Robin Harvey, Thousand Oaks, CA (US);
Joseph Santoru, Valencia, CA (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A high-power microwave/mm-wave oscillator is filled with an ionizable gas at a pressure of about 1-20 mTorr, into which an electron beam is injected at a high current density of at least about 1 amp/cm.sup.2, but typically 50-100 A/cm.sup.2. A plasma is formed which inhibits space-charge blowup of the beam, thereby eliminating the prior requirement of a magnet system to control the beam. The system functions as a slow-wave tube to produce narrow-band microwaves for a gas pressure of about 1-5 mTorr, and as a plasma wave tube to produce broadband microwave/mm-wave radiation for a gas pressure of about 10-20 mTorr. A new high output, hollow-cathode-plasma electron gun is employed in which a metal oxide layer is formed on the inner surface to enhance the secondary electron yield; a cathode, grid, and extraction anode have respective sets of multiple apertures which are mutually aligned to yield a high perveance beam; the cathode, grid, and anode are curved to geometrically focus the beam, and a beam with a circular cross-section is generated.