Traveling wave tube
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsDavid R. Sar, Adam M. Conway
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described herein is a traveling wave tube (TWT), comprising an electron gun configured to generate an electron beam (E-beam); a signal injector configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) signal; a slow wave structure (SWS) having an aperture configured to combine the E-beam and the RF signal; an outer wall enclosing the SWS; and at least one electromagnetically-active material on one of (1) at least one projection on at least one of a periphery of the SWS and on a side of the outer wall facing the SWS and (2) the periphery of the SWS configured to receive at least one electromagnetic signal to control, on-the-fly, amplification of the RF signal by maximizing dampening of spurious modes while minimizing dampening of operating modes.
Claims20
A traveling wave tube (TWT), comprising:
- an electron gun configured to generate an electron beam (E-beam);
- a signal injector configured to generate a radio frequency (RF) input signal;
- a slow wave structure (SWS) comprising:
- an inner structure;
- an outer wall enclosing at least the inner structure;
- and
- an aperture configured to combine the E-beam and the RF signal within a space between the inner structure and the outer wall to generate an amplified RF signal;
- and
- at least one electromagnetically/electrooptically-active material on at least one of:
- (1) at least one projection on at least one of a periphery of the inner structure or on a side of the outer wall facing the inner structure or (2) the periphery of the inner structure, the at least one electromagnetically/electrooptically-active material configured to receive at least one electromagnetic signal to control, on-the-fly, amplification of the RF signal by adjusting dampening of spurious modes.
A method for use with a traveling wave tube (TWT), comprising:
- generating an electron beam (E-beam) by an electron gun;
- injecting a radio frequency (RF) signal by a signal injector;
- combining the E-beam and the RF signal by an aperture of a slow wave structure (SWS) within a space between an inner structure and an outer wall of the SWS;
- and
- receiving at least one electromagnetic signal on at least one electromagnetically/electrooptically-active material on at least one of:
- (1) at least one projection on at least one of a periphery of the inner structure or on a side of the outer wall facing the inner structure or (2) the periphery of the inner structure, the at least one electromagnetically/electrooptically-active material configured to control, on-the-fly, amplification of the RF signal by maximizing dampening of spurious modes while minimizing dampening of operating modes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.