Micro-electron deflector

A deflection device responsive to a microwave input signal for producing an output signal, said deflection device comprising:

• (a) a focusing array for producing a collimated electron beam input ribbon in the direction of a propagation axis, the input ribbon being elongated along an array axis perpendicular to the propagation axis and being relatively thin along a deflection axis perpendicular to the array axis and to the propagation axis, said focussing array comprising a plurality of cathode units, each cathode unit comprising means independent of any electric fields external to said cathode unit for emitting an electron beamlet and means for focussing the beamlet, the plurality of focussed beamlets produced by said plurality of cathode units constituting the input ribbon;
• (b) first and second deflector faces, said first and second deflector faces forming a deflection region therebetween and being disposed so that the propagation-axis passes through said deflection region, said deflection region being external to said focussing array, said first and second deflector faces and said focussing array (a) constituting an integrated structure;
• (c) means responsive to the input signal for applying time varying first and second potentials to said first and second deflector faces, respectively, so as to produce a modulated electric field in said deflection region for deflecting the input ribbon over the course of a temporal deflection cycle to produce a continuously modulated output ribbon of substantially the same frequency as the input signal;
• and
• (d) an anode section responsive to the continuously modulated output ribbon for producing a microwave output signal having frequency of substantially the same order of magnitude as the input signal frequency.