A cathode heater assembly for use in a vacuum electronic device comprises a refractive cup having a bottom portion and side walls forming a container; a cathode secured in the container of the refractive cup; and a heater wire coupled to the refractive cup. The cathode heater assembly may be manufactured by providing a refractive cup having a bottom portion and side walls forming a container; inserting a cathode pellet in the container of the refractive cup; impregnating the cathode pellet with electron emissive materials while the cathode pellet is in the container of the refractive cup; and attaching a heater wire to the refractive cup.

A cathode heater assembly for use in a vacuum electronic device comprises a refractive cup having a bottom portion and side walls forming a container; a cathode secured in the container of the refractive cup; and a heater wire coupled to the refractive cup. The cathode heater assembly may be manufactured by providing a refractive cup having a bottom portion and side walls forming a container; inserting a cathode pellet in the container of the refractive cup; impregnating the cathode pellet with electron emissive materials while the cathode pellet is in the container of the refractive cup; and attaching a heater wire to the refractive cup.

A multibeam-inductive-output-tube amplifier comprises an output cavity and a plurality of electron guns each intended to emit an electron beam through the output cavity, each electron gun comprising a cathode intended to emit the electron beam and a gate allowing the density of the electron beam to be modulated. The amplifier comprises, associated with each gun, a DC voltage supply, each of the supplies connected to the gate of the corresponding electron gun so as to bias the gate. The voltage of at least one of the supplies is adjustable so as to balance the density of the various electron beams.

A multibeam-inductive-output-tube amplifier comprises an output cavity and a plurality of electron guns each intended to emit an electron beam through the output cavity, each electron gun comprising a cathode intended to emit the electron beam and a gate allowing the density of the electron beam to be modulated. The amplifier comprises, associated with each gun, a DC voltage supply, each of the supplies connected to the gate of the corresponding electron gun so as to bias the gate. The voltage of at least one of the supplies is adjustable so as to balance the density of the various electron beams.

The present invention relates to a modulator system adapted to generate high voltage pulses suitable for supply across a high voltage load having a thermionic cathode, such as a magnetron. The modulator system comprises a high voltage DC PSU connected to a switching mechanism adapted to generate high voltage pulses from the high voltage DC PSU for application to a thermionic cathode of a high voltage load. The modulator system further comprises an isolation transformer; a heater PSU adapted to be connected to a cathode heater through the isolation transformer and to provide an AC current thereto. The modulator system further comprises a controller to receive pulse instruction signals and trigger generation of corresponding high voltage pulses by the switching mechanism, to calculate the estimated arrival time of a next pulse instruction signal, based on the time between previous pulse instruction signals, and disable the heater PSU for a preset time, commencing before the estimated arrival time of the next pulse instruction signal, such that no current is supplied from the heater PSU while current is supplied from the high voltage PSU.

A self-assembling element fabricated using integrated circuit techniques may provide a small diameter helical conductor surrounding an electron beam for the construction of a vacuum electronic device such as a traveling-wave tube for terahertz scale signal.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, comprising an external base forming at least a portion of the enclosure; an internal base within the enclosure; and at least one thermal dissipative strap assembly, comprising: an internal base thermal conductive base in contact with the internal base, an external base thermal conductive base in contact with the external base, and a flexible thermal dissipative strap coupling the internal base thermal conductive base to the external base thermal conductive base.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, comprising an external base forming at least a portion of the enclosure; an internal base within the enclosure; and at least one thermal dissipative strap assembly, comprising: an internal base thermal conductive base in contact with the internal base, an external base thermal conductive base in contact with the external base, and a flexible thermal dissipative strap coupling the internal base thermal conductive base to the external base thermal conductive base.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, the enclosure including an external base including an opening; an internal base within the enclosure; and an adjustable support assembly adjustably coupling the internal base to the external base and extending through the opening, the adjustable support assembly comprising: a threaded shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and coupled to the internal base; a threaded hole component threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft and coupled to the external base such that the threaded hole component is axially constrained in a direction along the longitudinal axis relative to the external base independent of the threaded shaft; and a flexible component coupled to the external base and the threaded shaft and sealing the opening.

Embodiments include a vacuum device, comprising: an enclosure configured to enclose a vacuum, the enclosure including an external base including an opening; an internal base within the enclosure; and an adjustable support assembly adjustably coupling the internal base to the external base and extending through the opening, the adjustable support assembly comprising: a threaded shaft extending along a longitudinal axis and coupled to the internal base; a threaded hole component threadedly engaged with the threaded shaft and coupled to the external base such that the threaded hole component is axially constrained in a direction along the longitudinal axis relative to the external base independent of the threaded shaft; and a flexible component coupled to the external base and the threaded shaft and sealing the opening.