Design of high-power modulator tubes

Grid-controlled high-vacuum tubes can be used advantageously to generate the pulse modulation of large radars and particle accelerators. Factors considered in designing high-power tubes which will meet the exacting requirements of switch-tube service are discussed as are structural details of a superpower beam-forming shielded-grid triode. Included are such features as the unit-cathode design and special processing, beam-forming structures, high-dissipation plate, high-conductivity seals, and special high-voltage considerations which make this tube superior in pulse-modulator service. Other types of superpower tubes and their adaptability to switch-tube service, as well as future trends in very-high-power switch-tube designs, also are considered.