Traveling wave tube amplifier having a helical slow-wave structure supported by a cylindrical scaffold

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11201028-B2
Application number	US-201916589348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2019
Priority date	Oct 1, 2019
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

Traveling-wave tube amplifiers for high-frequency signals, including terahertz signals, and methods for making a slow-wave structure for the traveling-wave tube amplifiers are provided. The slow-wave structures include helical conductors that are self-assembled via the release and relaxation of strained films from a sacrificial growth substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A traveling wave tube amplifier comprising:
a slow-wave structure comprising:
a cylindrical scaffold comprising a dielectric film, the cylindrical scaffold having an interior surface; and
an electrically conductive helix on the interior surface of the cylindrical scaffold, the electrically conductive helix comprising a plurality of electrically conductive strips connected end-to-end;
an electron gun positioned to direct one or more beams of electrons axially through the electrically conductive helix or around the periphery of the electrically conductive helix; and
an electron collector positioned opposite the electron gun.

2. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical scaffold comprises silicon nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or diamond.

3. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive helix has an inner diameter in the range from 1 μm to 50 μm.

4. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein each electrically conductive strip corresponds to one coil of the electrically conductive helix.

5. The amplifier of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric support membrane, wherein the slow-wave structure is attached to the dielectric support membrane along the length of the slow-wave structure.

6. The amplifier of claim 5 , wherein the dielectric support membrane comprises diamond or silicon nitride.

7. The amplifier of claim 6 , wherein the electrically conductive helix comprises a material that can be electroplated.

8. The amplifier of claim 7 , wherein the electrically conductive helix comprises gold, copper, nickel, or silver.

9. The amplifier of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical scaffold comprises silicon nitride, the dielectric support membrane comprises diamond, and the electrically conductive helix comprises gold.

10. The amplifier of claim 8 , wherein the electrically conductive helix has an inner diameter in the range from 1 μm to 50 μm.

11. The amplifier of claim 5 , further comprising a device substrate, wherein the portion of the dielectric support membrane to which the slow-wave structure is attached is suspended over the device substrate.

12. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical scaffold comprises diamond, has a thickness in the range from 10 nm to 20 nm, and has an inside diameter in the range from 0.5 μm to 2 μm.

13. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical scaffold comprises silicon nitride, has a thickness in the range from 20 nm to 40 nm, and has an inside diameter in the range from 1 μm to 5 μm.

14. The amplifier of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical scaffold has an inside diameter in the range from 0.5 μm to 30 μm.

Assignees

• Wisconsin Alumni Res Found
• The Regents Of The Univ Of New Mexico

Inventors

• Lagally Max G
• Dwyer Matthew Mclean
• Cavallo Francesca
• Van Der Weide Daniel Warren
• Bhat Abhishek

Classifications

• H01J23/165

  Manufacturing processes or apparatus therefore · CPC title

• C23C16/06 Primary

  characterised by the deposition of metallic material · CPC title

• C23C16/04

  Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks · CPC title

• H01J9/14 Primary

  of non-emitting electrodes · CPC title

• H01J25/44

  the forward travelling wave being utilised · CPC title