Deflection microwave amplifier with field-emitter arrays

Abstract

A new class of microwave and millimeter-wave amplifiers, based on the deflection of collimated microscopic electron beams with high-current density and low voltage from field-emitter arrays, was analyzed. The deflection concept may be applied in two ways; as microelectronic amplifiers or as bunched beam cathodes to power conventional amplifier configurations such as klystrodes and traveling wave tubes. We found that the frequency fT, at which the short-circuit current gain attains unit magnitude, depends only on the electron beam energy, current density, and emittance, and is independent of beamwidth and total current. The results indicate that field-emitter arrays have the potential of making wideband deflection amplifiers at frequencies up to tens of GHz.