Borehole power amplifier
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorTancredi Botto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Borehole tools and methods for analyzing earth formations are disclosed herein. An example borehole tool disclosed herein includes an RF particle accelerator. The particle accelerator includes an accelerator waveguide for accelerating electrons. The borehole tool also includes a power amplification circuit that is based on a wide bandgap semiconductor material, such as a combination of gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN). The power amplification circuit amplifies an initial input RF signal and provides a driving RF output signal to drive acceleration of the electrons within the accelerator waveguide.
Claims20
A borehole tool for analyzing an earth formation, the borehole tool comprising:
- an RF particle accelerator comprising a plurality of accelerator waveguides for accelerating electrons;
- and
- one or more power amplification circuits comprising a wide bandgap semiconductor material, wherein the one or more power amplification circuits amplify an initial input RF signal and provides a driving RF output signal to drive acceleration of the electrons within the plurality of accelerator waveguides in a standing wave mode, wherein the one or more power amplification circuits are configured to introduce the driving RF signal at different locations along the RF particle accelerator.
A method comprising:
- positioning a borehole tool within a borehole traversing an earth formation;
- amplifying an initial input RF signal using one or more power amplification circuits comprising a wide bandgap semiconductor material to provide a driving RF output signal;
- and
- driving acceleration of electrons within an RF particle accelerator using the driving RF output signal in a standing wave mode, wherein the driving RF signal is introduced at different locations along the RF particle accelerator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.