Anode with suppressor grid

#U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/545,504, entitled PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION OF A FIELD EMISSION DEVICE, naming RODERICK A. HYDE, JORDIN T. KARE, NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD, TONY S. PAN, and LOWELL L. WOOD, JR., as inventors, filed 10 Jul. 2012, is related to the present application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/587,762, entitled MATERIALS AND CONFIGURATIONS OF A FIELD EMISSION DEVICE, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III, PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF, WILLIAM GATES, RODERICK A. HYDE, MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA, JORDIN T. KARE, NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD, TONY S. PAN, ROBERT C. PETROSKI, CLARENCE T. TEGREENE, DAVID B. TUCKERMAN, CHARLES WHITMER, LOWELL L. WOOD, JR., VICTORIA Y. H. WOOD, as inventors, filed 16 Aug. 2012, is related to the present application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/774,893, entitled VARIABLE FIELD EMISSION DEVICE, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III; PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF; WILLIAM GATES; RODERICK A. HYDE; MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA; JORDIN T. KARE; NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD; TONY S. PAN; ROBERT C. PETROSKI; CLARENCE T. TEGREENE; DAVID B. TUCKERMAN; CHARLES WHITMER; LOWELL L. WOOD, JR.; and VICTORIA Y.H. WOOD as inventors, filed 22 Feb. 2013, is related to the present application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/790,613, entitled TIME-VARYING FIELD EMISSION DEVICE, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III; PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF; WILLIAM GATES; RODERICK A. HYDE; MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA; JORDIN T. KARE; NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD; TONY S. PAN; ROBERT C. PETROSKI; CLARENCE T. TEGREENE; DAVID B. TUCKERMAN; CHARLES WHITMER; LOWELL L. WOOD, JR.; and VICTORIA Y.H. WOOD as inventors, filed 8 Mar. 2013, is related to the present application.

#U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/860,274, entitled FIELD EMISSION DEVICE WITH AC OUTPUT, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III; PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF; WILLIAM GATES; RODERICK A. HYDE; MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA; JORDIN T. KARE; NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD; TONY S. PAN; ROBERT C. PETROSKI; CLARENCE T. TEGREENE; DAVID B. TUCKERMAN; CHARLES WHITMER; LOWELL L. WOOD, JR. and VICTORIA Y.H. WOOD as inventors, filed 10 Apr. 2013, is related to the present application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/864,957, entitled ADDRESSABLE ARRAY OF FIELD EMISSION DEVICES, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III; PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF; WILLIAM GATES; RODERICK A. HYDE; MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA; JORDIN T. KARE; NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD; TONY S. PAN; ROBERT C. PETROSKI; CLARENCE T. TEGREENE; DAVID B. TUCKERMAN; CHARLES WHITMER; LOWELL L. WOOD, JR. and VICTORIA Y.H. WOOD as inventors, filed 17 Apr. 2013, is related to the present application. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/871,673, entitled EMBODIMENTS OF A FIELD EMISSION DEVICE, naming JESSE R. CHEATHAM, III; PHILIP ANDREW ECKHOFF; WILLIAM GATES; RODERICK A. HYDE; MURIEL Y. ISHIKAWA; JORDIN T. KARE; NATHAN P. MYHRVOLD; TONY S. PAN; ROBERT C. PETROSKI; CLARENCE T. TEGREENE; DAVID B. TUCKERMAN; CHARLES WHITMER; LOWELL L. WOOD, JR. and VICTORIA Y.H. WOOD as inventors, filed 26 Apr. 2013, is related to the present application.

#The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is a continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parent application. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The USPTO further has provided forms for the Application Data Sheet which allow automatic loading of bibliographic data but which require identification of each application as a continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parent application. The present Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) has provided above a specific reference to the application(s) from which priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language and does not require either a serial number or any characterization, such as “continuation” or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S. patent applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry requirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of a relationship between the present application and its parent application(s) as set forth above and in any ADS filed in this application, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or not the present application contains any new matter in addition to the matter of its parent application(s).

#FIG. 1 is a schematic of an apparatus comprising a cathode, a gate, a suppressor and an anode.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic of energy levels corresponding to an embodiment of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a schematic of an apparatus comprising a cathode, a gate, a suppressor, an anode, and a screen grid.

#The use of the same symbols in different drawings typically indicates similar or identical items.

#In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.

#In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 comprises a cathode 102, an anode 108 arranged substantially parallel to the cathode 102, wherein the anode 108 and cathode 102 are receptive to a first power source 110 to produce an anode electric potential 202 higher than a cathode electric potential. It is the convention in this discussion to generally reference electric potentials relative to the value of the cathode electric potential, which in such circumstances can be treated as zero. The anode electric potential 202 and other electric potentials corresponding to the apparatus of FIG. 1 are shown in FIG. 2 for an embodiment of FIG. 1 corresponding to a heat engine. The apparatus 100 further comprises a gate 104 positioned between the anode 108 and the cathode 102, the gate 104 being receptive to a second power source 112 to produce a gate electric potential 204, wherein the gate electric potential 204 is selected to induce electron emission from the cathode 102 for a first set of electrons 206 having energies above a first threshold energy 208. The apparatus 100 further comprises a suppressor 106 positioned between the gate 104 and the anode 108, the suppressor 106 being receptive to a third power source 114 to produce a suppressor electric potential 210 selected to block electron emission from the anode 108 for a second set of electrons 207 having energies below a second threshold energy 209 while passing at least a portion of the first set of electrons 206. In this embodiment the anode 108 is positioned to receive the passed portion of the first set of electrons 206. In some embodiments the anode output 124 may be electrically connected to power a device.