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. 05, 2002
Filed:
Mar. 06, 1996
Chance Glenn, Columbia, MD (US);
Roger Kaul, Olney, MD (US);
Louis Jasper, Jr., Fulton, MD (US);
George Bergeron, III, Springfield, VA (US);
Douglas A. Kirkpatrick, Great Falls, VA (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
An apparatus using field emission techniques to limit voltage on RF transmission lines. A voltage limiter comprises a cathode and an anode housed in an airtight tube, whereby the cathode comprises a field emitter array having a plurality of field tips distributed about the surface of an insulating layer, and a microstrip transmission line overlying the insulating layer and having a predetermined width to form electrical contact with a selected group of the field tips. The microstrip transmission line enables propagation of electromagnetic microwave energy over a bandwidth of multiple octaves. The field emitters enable the generation of a flow of electrons at a predetermined breakdown threshold voltage, without the necessity for an external source to induce electron flow. Generation of the electron flow by the field tips creates a reflection wave on the transmission line that interferes with the incident electromagnetic energy to limit the voltage on the transmission line.