US2266428A - Lateral deflection ultra high frequency tube - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1941'. c. v. LITTON I LATERAL DEFLECTION ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY TUBE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1940 /JOZ INVENTOR amass n-L/rra/v ATTORN v C. V. LlTTON Dec. 16, 1941.

LATERAL DEFLECTION ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY TUBE Filed Sept. 21, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CV/ARLES ill/770 ATTOR Y Patented Dec. 16, 1941 LATERAL DEFLECTION ULTRA HIGH FREQUENCY TUBE Charles V. Litton, Redwood City, Calii'., assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 21, 1940, Serial No. 357,735

6 Claims.

This invention relates to high frequency electrical discharge tubes and more particularly to tubes operating by lateral deflection of an electron beam.

Electrical discharge tubesv have been proposed for oscillation generation or amplification in which an electron beam is cyclically deflected laterally to cyclically impinge upon conductive sectors. The energy from the beam released upon such impingement may be used in a load circuit, and a portion of this energy may be regeneratively fed back to produce sustained oscillations.

According to my invention I propose to provide an electrical discharge tube wherein a laterally deflected beam is used as an oscillation generator or an amplifier.

It is an object of my invention to provide substantially closed resonant circuits in the energy extracting circuit of an electrical discharge tube and/or to provide for energization of these circuits during only a small portion of a fundamental cycle of operation.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for minimizing waste of energy from the electron beam used in the tube.

A better understanding of my invention, as well as the objects and features thereof may be had from the description of particular embodiments thereof made with reference to the acinvention;

Fig. 2 is a curve used in explaining my invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view partly in section, of a preferred embodiment of my invention, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on lines M, 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 is shown partly in section an ultrahigh frequency tube embodying characteristics of my invention. In this figure an electron emissive cathode It is arranged to emit a beam of electrons under influence of positive potential applied by battery IW. Although the battery Hill is shown as connected to the tube envelope for supplying an accelerating potential by connection to other parts of the circuit, it is clear that if desired, a separate'accelerating electrode could be used. The beam from this cathode represented by broken lines It is alternately deflected by means of a pair of deflecting electrodes l2, 53, so as to alternately impinge upon a pair of plates ll, l8.

a pair of resonant chambers l4, l5. These chambers may be in the form of concentric lines made effectively a quarter of a wavelength long at the operating frequency. Thus, the beam Ii is deflected alternately to the right and left at a frequency determined by the resonant chambers. A second pair of substantially closed resonant chambers I9, 20, are operatively connected to plates or anodes ll, l8. Resonant chambers I9, 20, are also tuned to the operating frequency. Accordingly, when the beam ll contacts the anodes ll, l8, the associated resonant circuits are excited into oscillation at the operating frequency. In order that the system may operate to produce sustained oscillations, feedback lines 2!, 22 are arranged between chambers l9, l4 and 20, i5. It is evident that as beam ll oscillates between anodes ll, i8, oscillations of the operating frequency at 180 phase difierence are 'produced in resonant chambers i9, 20. If then energy is extracted from chambers I9, 20, over loops 23, 24, a single phase energy may be provided by merely combining these outputs.

It is evident that at the time beam ll passes between electrodes ll, i8, energy of the beam will not be passed to the resonant chambers I8 and 2|]. In order to preserve the efliciency of the tube a catcher electrode 25 may be provided and energized at a low potential by means of battery ill! to slow down the electrons which pass anodes ll, l8, before collecting them. However, the efiiciency may be further enhanced by supplying an additional electrode means such as 26 between anodes ll,'l8, and applying to this electrode a negative potential from a battery such as Hi2. Because of the negative charge on electrode 26 the electrons in the beam will tend to be deflected toward one of the electrodes and as the beam is oscillated will snap suddenly from one electrode to the other without losingany electrons through the opening therein. When this electrode 26 is furnished electrode 25 may be omitted.

The circuit arrangement shown in Fig. 1 may likewise be used for the purpose of amplification instead of oscillation generation. It is necessary in order. to obtain this operation merely to excite the resonant cavities l4, l5 by means of properly phased energy of the fundamental frequency so as to deflect the beam and then chambers l9 and 20 will produce the amplified output current.

In the single phase embodiment of Fig. 1 it is Associated with deflecting electrodes l2, l3 are clear that the electron beam will contact each electrode during substantially 180 of a cycle at the operating frequency.

A more eflicient operation may be obtained by a multiple phase circuit wherein the beam is rotated so that it falls on the respective anodes during only a small portion of the operating cycle. Thus, the beam is efiective during a portion corresponding to the peak of one portion of the cycle of oscillation. A better illustration of this oscillation may be had by reference to Fig. 2. In this figure, the potential is plotted against time. The sine wave of the oscillation produced in the resonant chambers, and likewise corresponding to the rotation rate of the beam, is illustrated by curve 200. During a portion of the peak, preferably not more than 60 electrical degrees, cathode beam is in contact with .one of the anodes so as to produce an impulse 2M during a portion near the peak of one part of the cycle. Thus, a relatively efficient operation of the tube is obtained since the value of a sine wave at 30 either side of the peak value is substantially 87% of the peak value of oscillation. An embodiment of my invention showing six phase operation is disclosed in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings Fig. 3 illustrates, partly in cross section, a perspective view of a tube adapted for six-phase operation. This tube comprises an electron emitting cathode l0 similar to that shown in Fig. 1. Three deflecting electrodes 30, 3| and 32 are provided, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, only and 3| being shown in Fig. 3. The beam from the cathode i0 is rotated in a circle dependent upon the three-phase energization of' the elec trodes 30, 3|, 32. Associated with each of the electrodes 30, 3| and 32 are resonant chambers or cavities 33, 34, 35. Preferably additional partitions 36, 31, 38 ar provided 50-215 to more nearly form a complete closed resonant circuit. The beam after passing the deflecting electrodes impinges in rotation on collector plates or anodes 40, 4|, 42, 43, 44 and 45, only four of which are shown in Fig. 3. Associated with each of the anodes to 45, inclusive, are corresponding resonant chambers to 55, respectively. Thus, as the beam is rotated the segmental plates 4|] to 45, are successively energized, exciting oscillations of the given frequency in the associated resonant chambers 50 to 55. Between each pair of adjacent anodes is arranged a plate 56 which serves as a negatively charged electrode causing the beam to snap immediately from one plat to the succeeding plate so that few electrons, if any, are passed through the openings between the plates. I

The electron beam deflection and the area of the plates are so adjusted'that the electron beam is eifective for, exciting. oscillations during not more than 60 vof the operating wavelength for each of said chambers; The control of the electron beam for this purpose may be made by suitably adjusting the potential'from battery I00 applied as the accelerating potential to control the amount of deflection of the beam. If desired a collecting electrode 25 maintained at a small potential by means of a battery |0'| may be provided for collecting any electrodes which are passed between the anodes. Furthermore, a negative potential is supplied from battery I02 to electrode 56. Every second one of resonant chambers, such as chambers 50, 52 and 54 may be coupled back by means of transmission lines such as 60, 6| to the corresponding resonant chambers 33, 34, etc., of the deflection controlling system. Thus, oscillations may be generated in the system by the feedback loops so as to sustain operation of the tubes at the desired operating frequency.

A plurality of separate output lines, such as 10, 1|, [2, 13 may. b provided for collecting the output energy from the separate resonant chambers. If a multiple phase load circuit is not provided the energy from these units may be combined over suitable phasing units to a load 8|. Since the system will generally be operating at an ultra-high frequency, phasing units may comprise merely additional lengths of transmis sion line.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, I have shown a three-phase control for the deflection of the beam together with a six-phase output. It is clear, however, that if desired a six-phase control for the deflector may be provided. Ordinarily the three-phase rotation will be found sufiicient.

In this embodiment also, as explained in connection with Fig. 1, the tube may be used as an amplifier instead of an oscillation generator merely by supplying suitably phased energy from an outside source instead of using the feedback arrangements. Furthermore, any number of phases may be supplied, it being merely necessary to provide a suitable number of collecting ghambers and suitable rotating means for the cam.

Although in the embodiments illustrated in the .that these cavities be so constructed that they are properly tuned to the operating frequency.

While I have disclosed particular arrangements of my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, it should be distinctly understood that this disclosure is made merely by way of illustration and not as a limitation on my invention. What I consider as my invention and desire to secure protection upon is embodied in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A high frequency system comprising emissive means for producing a beam of electrons, a plurality of deflecting electrodes arranged about said beam, a resonant circuit tuned to the operating frequency of said system and coupled to each of said deflecting electrodes, a plurality of sector shaped anode electrodes arranged in the path of said electron beam for cyclic energization, a resonant circuit tuned to said operating frequency of said system coupled to each of said anodes, a negatively charged electrode arranged between said anodes and a coupling between each of said first-mentioned resonant circuits and one of said last-mentioned resonant circuits.

2. A high frequency system comprising emis- 3. A high frequency system according to claim .1 wherein the number of deflecting electrodes is a submultiple of the number of sector shaped anode electrodes.

4. A high frequency tube including emissive means for producing a beam of electrons, at least two anode means disposed alternately to intercept said beam, tuned chamber means resonant to a predetermined frequency coupled to said anode means, and means for cyclically diverting said beam laterally at said predetermined frequency, said last-mentioned means comprising at least two deflecting electrodes, resonant chamher means coupled to each of said electrodes, and coupling means between said tuned chamber means and said resonant chamber means, whereby sustained oscillations may be produced.

5. A high frequency tube according to claim 4, in which negatively charged electrode means is provided between said anode means.

6. A high frequency system according to claim 2, wherein a collector electrode is provided for collecting electrons which pass through the openings between said anodes.

CHARLES V. LI'ITON'.

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