Patent · US Expired

Electron beam generator with magnetic cathode-protection unit

US5866974A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
7References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 6, 1997
Grant dateFeb 2, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 6, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J29/84
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electron beam generator includes: an electron emitting cathode (1); an anode (3) with an anode bore (4) for the passage of an electron beam (6); a Wehnelt electrode (2) between the cathode (1) and the anode (3) for controlling the electron beam; the cathode (1); the anode (3) and the Wehnelt electrode (2) disposed within a vacuum chamber (100); and a magnetic unit (7) disposed between the cathode (1) and the anode (3) for generating a static transverse magnetic field causing the electrons to be deflected along a curved path until the electrons enter the anode (3) such that ions follow an ionic path back to strike the Wehnelt electrode (2) and are kept from striking the cathode (1) by displacement caused by the ionic path. The present invention reduces the number of ions that impact the cathode and reduces the number of ions that are formed by the ionization of residual molecules, increasing the service life of the cathode.

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