Virtual Cathode Oscillator Component Optimization

Author

Chen, Yeong-Jer ; Mankowski, John ; Walter, John ; Kristiansen, Magne

Author_Institution

Center for Pulsed Power & Power Electron., Texas Tech. Univ., Lubbock, TX

fYear

2006

fDate

14-18 May 2006

Firstpage

157

Lastpage

160

Abstract

Recent research efforts at TTU include a simple aluminum cathode for E-beam generation in a virtual cathode oscillator (vircator). As a continuation of these results, we are fabricating and testing several different types of cathodes for the vircator driven by a Marx generator and a pulse forming line (400 kV, 60 ns, 30 Omega). The cathodes, each with an emitting area of ~32 cm², are made from aluminum and oxygen free copper fashioned to similar geometries with either a chemical etch or a CNC machine process. The vircator is tested with all of these cathodes and evaluated for beam voltage, current, and HPM generation. In addition to the cathode testing, several stainless steel and tungsten anode meshes with varying transparencies (50%-80%) are evaluated

Keywords

aluminium; cathodes; copper; electron beams; electron tube testing; etching; optimisation; pulse generators; stainless steel; tungsten; vircators; CNC machine process; E-beam generation; Marx generator; TTU; aluminum cathode testing; chemical etching; fabrication; optimization; pulse forming line; stainless steel; tungsten anode mesh; vircator; virtual cathode oscillator; Aluminum; Cathodes; Chemical processes; Computer numerical control; Copper; Etching; Geometry; Oscillators; Pulse generation; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Power Modulator Symposium, 2006. Conference Record of the 2006 Twenty-Seventh International

Conference_Location

Arlington, VA

Print_ISBN

1-4244-0018-X

Electronic_ISBN

1-4244-0019-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/MODSYM.2006.365206

Filename

4216158