Accelerator apparatus (100) for accelerating charged particles (2) with pulsed radiation includes horn-shaped coupling device (10) with at least one horn coupler (11, 15) having input aperture (12), electrically conductive walls (13) and output aperture (14), wherein pulsed radiation is received at input aperture and focused towards output aperture, and waveguide device (20) coupled with the output aperture and configured for receiving focused pulsed radiation. Waveguide device includes injection section (21) for providing charged particles and subjecting them to acceleration by pulsed radiation in injection section, and lateral output port (23) for releasing accelerated charged particles along particle acceleration direction. The at least one horn coupler receives linearly polarized single cycle pulses (1) including broadband frequency spectrum shaped as a linearly polarized plane wave and focuses linearly polarized single cycle pulses. Waveguide device has non-resonant broadband transmission characteristic. Furthermore, charged particle gun and method of accelerating charged particles are described.

An electron beam writing apparatus comprising, a cathode configured to emit an electron beam, a condition controller configured to change a condition under which the electron beam is emitted from the cathode in a plurality of ways, and a prediction unit configured to predict a life span of the cathode based on a temporal change in an amount of fluctuation of a beam characteristic of the electron beam to a change in the condition when the condition is changed.

A method and system for in situ cross-linking of polymers, Bitumen, and other materials to produce arbitrary functional or ornamental three-dimensional features using electron beams provided by mobile accelerators comprises defining a desired pattern for imparting on a target area, mapping the target area, defining at least one discrete voxel in the target area according to the desired pattern to be imparted on the target area, assigning an irradiation value to each of the at least one discrete voxels, and delivering a dose of irradiation to each of the at least one discrete voxels according to the assigned irradiation value.

A method and system for in situ cross-linking of polymers, Bitumen, and other materials to produce arbitrary functional or ornamental three-dimensional features using electron beams provided by mobile accelerators comprises defining a desired pattern for imparting on a target area, mapping the target area, defining at least one discrete voxel in the target area according to the desired pattern to be imparted on the target area, assigning an irradiation value to each of the at least one discrete voxels, and delivering a dose of irradiation to each of the at least one discrete voxels according to the assigned irradiation value.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a charged particle beam device capable of estimating a lifetime of a filament of a charged particle beam source with a cheap and simple circuit configuration. The charged particle beam device according to the present invention includes a boosting circuit that boosts a voltage to be supplied to a filament and estimates a remaining duration of the filament using a measured value of a current flowing on a low-voltage side of the boosting circuit (see FIG. 3).

An object of the present invention is to reduce the possibility that a filament is broken during observation and a re-measurement is required, to reduce the running cost of an apparatus, and to improve the operating efficiency of the apparatus. The charged particle beam apparatus according to the present invention calculates an imaging time required to generate an observation image of a sample and estimates a remaining usable time of the filament, and when the imaging time is longer than the remaining usable time, presents the fact (see FIG. 3)

There is provided an electron beam emitting assembly (12) comprising a filament element (40; 60) and a cathode element (42; 62), wherein the filament element (40; 60) is in direct physical contact with the cathode element (42; 62). The filament element (40; 60) is heatable to a temperature around the electron emission temperature of the cathode element (42; 62). The filament element is resistively heatable or inductively heatable. Also provided is a method of generating an electron beam comprising positioning a filament element and a cathode element in direct physical contact, and heating the filament element to a temperature around the electron emission temperature of the cathode element so as to cause the cathode element to emit electrons.

There is provided an electron beam emitting assembly (12) comprising a filament element (40; 60) and a cathode element (42; 62), wherein the filament element (40; 60) is in direct physical contact with the cathode element (42; 62). The filament element (40; 60) is heatable to a temperature around the electron emission temperature of the cathode element (42; 62). The filament element is resistively heatable or inductively heatable. Also provided is a method of generating an electron beam comprising positioning a filament element and a cathode element in direct physical contact, and heating the filament element to a temperature around the electron emission temperature of the cathode element so as to cause the cathode element to emit electrons.

An electron beam 3D printing machine, comprising a chamber for generating and accelerating an electron beam and an operating chamber in which a metal powder is melted, with the consequent production of a three-dimensional product. The chamber for generating and accelerating an electron beam houses means for generating an electron beam and means for accelerating the generated electron beam, while the operating chamber houses at least one platform for depositing the metal powder, metal powder handling means and electron beam deflection means. The accelerator means for the generated electron beam comprise a series of resonant cavities fed with an alternating signal.

An electron beam 3D printing machine, comprising a chamber for generating and accelerating an electron beam and an operating chamber in which a metal powder is melted, with the consequent production of a three-dimensional product. The chamber for generating and accelerating an electron beam houses means for generating an electron beam and means for accelerating the generated electron beam, while the operating chamber houses at least one platform for depositing the metal powder, metal powder handling means and electron beam deflection means. The accelerator means for the generated electron beam comprise a series of resonant cavities fed with an alternating signal.