Patent · US Expired

Electron gun modulated by optoelectronic switching

US5313138A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 9, 1991
Grant dateMay 17, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 9, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10F30/10
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electron gun is modulated by an optoelectronic switching device. This switching device comprises a modulated light source and at least one GaAs or Si solid-state optoelectronic switch, this switch being non-conductive when not illuminated and conductive when illuminated by the modulated light source; the device also includes components to transmit the light from the source to the switch(es). In one embodiment, the modulated light source is a laser and in a second embodiment the source is a continuous source externally modulated by a mechanical or electrooptical device. The optoelectronic switching device is connected between a high-voltage source and the cathode of an electron gun, thus modulating the cathode. The invention is particularly applicable to microwave electron tubes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.