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US 9,824,845 B2Granted
Variable field emission device
AssigneeElwha LLC
InventorsJesse R. Cheatham, III, Philip Andrew Eckhoff, William Gates, 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, Roderick A. Hyde
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Abstract
A field emission device is configured as a heat engine, wherein the configuration of the heat engine is variable.
Claims22
An apparatus comprising:
- a cathode;
- an anode, wherein the anode and cathode are receptive to a first power source to produce an anode electric potential higher than a cathode electric potential;
- a gate positioned between the anode and the cathode, the gate being receptive to a second power source to produce a gate electric potential selected to induce electron emission from the cathode;
- a suppressor positioned between the gate and the anode, the suppressor being receptive to a third power source to produce a suppressor electric potential selected to provide a force on an electron in a direction pointing towards the suppressor in a region between the suppressor and the anode;
- and wherein at least one of the gate and suppressor is responsive to a current to vary at least one of the gate and suppressor electric potentials.
2 more elements
A method corresponding to an apparatus having a cathode region, a gate region, a suppressor region, and an anode region arranged in a pattern, the method comprising:
- applying a gate electric potential from the gate region to selectively release a first set of electrons from a bound state in the cathode region;
- applying a suppressor electric potential from the suppressor region to selectively release a second set of electrons from emission from a bound state in the anode region, the anode region having an anode electric potential that is greater than a cathode electric potential of the cathode region;
- passing a portion of the first set of electrons through a gas-filled region and binding the passed portion of the first set of electrons in the anode region;
- and changing the pattern.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.