Electronic device multi-layer graphene grid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9659734-B2
Application number	US-201514613459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Sep 12, 2012
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A vacuum electronic device includes a multi-layer graphene grid that includes at least two layers of graphene, where the transmission of electrons through the multi-layer graphene grid can be tuned by varying the parameters of the vacuum electronic device such as the number of graphene layers, relative positions of the electrodes, voltage biases applied to the electrodes, and other device parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a cathode, an anode, and a first grid that are configured to form a vacuum electronic device, wherein the first grid is disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the first grid is configured to modulate a flow of electrons between the cathode and anode in device operation;
wherein the first grid comprises a sheet that includes a layer of graphene, wherein the layer of graphene comprises a lattice structure having a plurality of openings, wherein the flow of electrons between the cathode and anode is transmitted through the plurality of openings; and
wherein the vacuum electronic device is configured with a set of device parameters that are selected according to a relative electron transmission through the first grid.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters are further selected to maximize the relative electron transmission for a set of electron energies through the first grid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters are further selected according to a relative amount of inelastic scattering.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the set of device parameters are further selected to minimize the relative amount of inelastic scattering for a set of electron energies.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the graphene sheet comprises at least two layers of graphene, wherein the set of device parameters includes a spacing between the at least two graphene layers that is at least partially determined by a spacer layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the spacer layer includes atoms.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the spacer layer includes molecules.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters includes a number of layers of graphene corresponding to the first grid, where the number of layers of graphene is greater than two.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the number of layers of graphene is further selected according to a mechanical strength of the first grid.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters includes a position of the first grid relative to the cathode and the anode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters includes a voltage bias applied to at least one of the cathode, the anode, and the first grid.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second grid, and wherein the set of device parameters includes a position of the second grid relative to the first grid, the cathode, and the anode.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the set of device parameters includes a voltage bias applied to the second grid.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the layer of graphene is doped.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of device parameters includes an incident angle defined by a direction of the flow of electrons and the first grid.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first grid is arranged sufficiently close to the cathode to induce electron emission from the cathode when an electric potential is applied to the first grid in device operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first grid is characterized by an energy-dependent transmission spectrum, and wherein the set of device parameters is selected according to the energy dependent transmission spectrum.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cathode, the anode, and the first grid are further configured to form a field emission device.

19. An apparatus comprising: a cathode, an anode, and a first grid that are configured to form a vacuum electronic device, wherein the first grid is disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the first grid is configured to modulate a flow of electrons between the cathode and anode in device operation; wherein the first grid comprises a sheet that includes a layer of graphene, wherein the layer of graphene comprises a lattice structure having a plurality of openings, wherein the flow of electrons between the cathode and anode is transmitted through the plurality of openings; and wherein the first grid is curved such that the transmission rate of the flow of electrons is a function of an angle of approach of the flow of electrons.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising electron optics configured to alter the angle of approach of the flow of electrons.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the electron optics are configured to produce at least one of a magnetic and an electric field.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the first grid has substantially spherical geometry.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the cathode includes a field emitter configured to produce the flow of electrons, and wherein the field emitter is substantially aligned along a radius of the spherical geometry.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the first grid has substantially cylindrical geometry.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the cathode includes a field emitter configured to produce the flow of electrons, and wherein the field emitter is substantially aligned along a radius of the cylindrical geometry.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the cathode includes a ridge emitter that is substantially aligned with the first grid and is configured to produce the flow of electrons, and wherein the field emitter is substantially aligned along a radius of the cylindrical geometry.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the vacuum electronic device is configured with a set of device parameters that are selected according to a relative electron transmission through the first grid.

28. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the cathode, the anode, and the first grid are further configured to form a field emission device.

29. An electronic device comprising: a cathode and a grid, wherein the grid is configured to modulate a flow of electrons emitted by the cathode in device operation; wherein the grid comprises a sheet that includes a layer of graphene, wherein the layer of graphene comprises a lattice structure having a plurality of openings, wherein the flow of electrons emitted by the cathode is transmitted through the plurality of openings, and wherein the grid is characterized by an energy-dependent transmission spectrum; wherein the cathode and the grid are configured with a set of device parameters that are selected according to a relative electron transmission through the first grid; and wherein the cathode and the grid form at least a portion of at least one of a vacuum tube, a power amplifier, a klystron, a gyrotron, a traveling-wave tube, a field-emission triode, and a field emission display.

Assignees

• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Duncan William David
• Hyde Roderick A
• Kare Jordin T
• Mankin Max N
• Pan Tony S
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• H01J2203/0232

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• H01J3/021

  Electron guns using a field emission, photo emission, or secondary emission electron source · CPC title

• H01J1/48 Primary

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• Y10T29/49204

  Contact or terminal manufacturing · CPC title