US2643297A - Gas discharge transmission arrangement - Google Patents

Gas discharge transmission arrangement Download PDF

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Publication number
US2643297A
US2643297A US63284A US6328448A US2643297A US 2643297 A US2643297 A US 2643297A US 63284 A US63284 A US 63284A US 6328448 A US6328448 A US 6328448A US 2643297 A US2643297 A US 2643297A
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United States
Prior art keywords
tube
electrodes
plasma
coating
radio frequency
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US63284A
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English (en)
Inventor
Goldstein Ladislas
Nathaniel L Cohen
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Federal Telecommunication Laboratories Inc
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Federal Telecommunication Laboratories Inc
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Publication date
Priority to BE521169D priority Critical patent/BE521169A/xx
Application filed by Federal Telecommunication Laboratories Inc filed Critical Federal Telecommunication Laboratories Inc
Priority to US63284A priority patent/US2643297A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2643297A publication Critical patent/US2643297A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P5/00—Coupling devices of the waveguide type
    • H01P5/04—Coupling devices of the waveguide type with variable factor of coupling
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02—Details
    • H01J17/04—Electrodes; Screens

Definitions

  • This invention relates to radio frequency transmission systems and more particularly to systems employing a gas discharge tube as a radio frequency transmission line element.
  • the radio frequency conductivity and wave transmission characteristics of the gas plasma are increased by using the light quanta generated in the plasma to control the photo-conductance or photo-electron-emissive properties of a coating or coatings applied to the gas tube.
  • one of the principal objects of this invention is to improve the radio frequency conductive properties and wave transmission characteristics between electrodes immersed in an ionizable medium capable of setting up a gas plasma therein.
  • Another object is to provide a novel radio frequency wave transmission line of the coaxial type, wherein the center conductor is composed in part at least, of a gas plasma.
  • a feature of the invention relates to a gaseous discharge tube having at least part of its wall surface provided with a photo-emissive material which responds to the light energy developed in the plasma, to enhance the radio frequency conductivity between the tube electrodes;
  • Another feature of the invention relates to a gaseous discharge tube provided with a coating of a material which increases its electrical conductance in response to incident light energy produced in the gas discharge plasma within the tube.
  • Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of-the invention.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention.
  • the present invention provides either on the interior wall of the tube or on the exterior wall thereof, or on both walls, a coating of a material which may be either photo-emissive in response to incident photons, or which increases its electrical conductance in response to incident photons.
  • this increase in electron emission or electric conductance of the coating is controlled by the photons which are emitted from the gas discharge plasma itself.
  • the invention is particularly useful where the gas discharge plasma forms .part of the central conductor of a coaxial wave transmission line, although in its broad aspects the invention is not necessarily limited to that particular field of use.- fulness.
  • Fig. 1 of the drawing a coaxial wave trans mission line embodying the invention.
  • the block i represents any well-known source of radio frequency wave energy
  • the block *2 represents any well-known radio frequency load device or terminal equipment to which the radio frequency energy is to be transmittedfrom source I.
  • the source I is connected to the equip-ment 2 by a coaxial wave transmission line havingan outer or hollow pipe conductor 3 and a central or inner conductor 4.
  • the conductor 4 is also in the form of ahollow pipe.
  • the pipe 4 has a gap between its ends-and this gap is bridged by a gaseous discharge tube 5.
  • the tube 5 is of glass and is approximately of the same outside diameter as theinside diameter of pipe conductor 4. Sealed through theleft-hand end of tube 5 is a lead-in conductorfi to which is attacheda cuplike cathode 1. The right-hand end of tube 5 is sealed to a metal cap anode 8.
  • the tube 5, after being suitably evacuated and processed as is well-known in the gaseous conduction tube art, is provided with a filling of a suitable ionizable medium such as gas or vapor. Preferably this filling consists oi? an inert gas such as neon, argon, krypton, helium, and the like, or a mixture thereof, at a suitable predetermined pressure.
  • the left-hand end of tube 5 is provided on the exterior thereof with a metal or other conductive coating 9 surrounding the region of the cathode i.
  • the left-hand end of the tube is adapted to be telefscoped within the open end of the conductor 4, and if desired, the said conductor 4 may be of flexible thin-walled construction, as indicated by the numeral I4, so as to provide a good electrical contact with the coating 9.
  • the cap 8 is telescoped with the corresponding section of conductor l so as to provide a good electrical contact therewith.
  • the greater part of the length of the tube 5 has on its interior surface a coating I of any well-known material which emits photo-electrons in response to impinging light energy, such as those conventionally employed inphoto-electric cells such for example as sodium, potassium, and the like.
  • this light energy is produced by the gaseous filling within the tube 5, and for this purpose-the cathode i can be connected to the negative terminal of a suitable D. C. voltage supply, and the cap 8 which forms the anode, can be connected to the positive terminal of this or any other D. C. voltage supply.
  • the gaseous conduction medium has normally a certain amount of conductivity, its conductivity is greatly increased or supplemented by the photo-emission from the coated surface 5 when excited by the light energy from the plasma.
  • a radio frequency choke coil H is connected between the cathode l and the ionizing potential source, so that the radio frequency energy from the source I passes from the line conductor 5 and cOating 9, and thence by capacitive coupling, to the cathode 7.
  • this radio frequency energy passes through the gas plasma within the tube 5 to the anode 3, line conductor 4' and thence to the radio frequency load 2.
  • the tube 5 with its gas plasma, forms in effect a continuity of the central conductor 4 of the coaxial wave transmission line. It will be understood, of course, that the tube 5 can be used in any other system wherein it is desired to increase the conductivity of the tube between the electrodes thereof.
  • Fig. 2 shows a modification of Fig. l, and the elements of Figs. 1 and 2 which are structurally and functionally the same, are designated alike.
  • An example of such material is selenium.
  • the coating extends along the greater part of the length of the internal surface of the tube 5, but terminates short of the cathode 1 and the anode 8.
  • the outer surface of the tube 5 can be provided with a similar coating 53 of a material like the coating 52.
  • the gaseous medium within the tube 5 sets up a gaseous discharge plasma, and the light energy from this plasma acts on the coatings i2 and i3 to increase their conductivity, thus providing a more efficient radio frequency conduction path between the sections of the center line conductor l.
  • the coating which is used to increase the radio frequency wave energy conductivity may consist of a combination of a light-responsive electronemissive material, and a light-responsive material which increases its conductivity.
  • a gaseous discharge device comprisin an enclosing envelope having :a filling of an ionizable medium, a pair of spaced electrodes for initiating and sustaining a gaseous discharge plasma within said medium, and a coating of light-responsive electron-emissive material on the wall of said envelope in the space between said electrodes, but conductively isolated from said electrodes, for increasing the conductivity of the plasma.
  • a gaseous dischargedevice comprisin an enclosing envelope having a filling of an ionizable medium, a pair of spaced electrodes for initiating and sustaining a gaseous discharge plasma within said medium, and a coating, on the wall of said envelope in the space between said electrodes, but conductively isolated from said electrodes, of a material which changes its electrical conductance in response to incident light energy derived from the discharge plasma for increasing the electrical conductivity between asid electrodes.
  • a gaseous discharge device comprising an enclosing envelope of insulating material, said envelope having a filling of an ionizable medium, a pair of spaced electrode within said envelope, a coating of light-responsive electron-emissive material on the inner wall of said envelope in the space between said electrodes but conductively isolated from said electrodes, said electrodes adapted to initiate and sustain a gaseous discharge plasma therebetween upon application thereacross of a potential from an ionizing source and to excite said coating by photons derived from such discharge plasma to increase the high frequency electrical conductivity of the space between said electrodes.
  • a gaseous discharge device comprising an enclosing envelope of insulating material, said envelope having a filling of an ionizable medium, a pair of spaced electrodes Within said envelope, a coating, on the inner wall of said envelope in the space between said electrodes but conductively isolated from said electrodes, consisting of a material which increases its electric conductivity in response to incident light energy, said electrodes adapted to initiate and sustain a gaseous discharge plasma therebetween upon application thereacross of a potential from an ionizing source, thereby to excite said coating by photons to increase the high frequency electric conductivity of the space between said electrodes.
  • a radio frequency transmission line conductor having two ends defining a gap therebetween, a gaseous discharge tube coupled between the two ends of said conductor defining said gap, said tube having a pair of spaced electrodes therein, means to energize said electrodes to initiate a gaseous discharge plasma, said tube having on the wall thereof in the space between said electrodes a coating of light-responsive material for altering the radio frequency conductivity between said electrodes.
  • a coaxial wave transmission line adapted to couple a source of high frequency energy to a utilization circuit
  • a utilization circuit comprising an outer hollow conductor, an inner central conductor having two ends defining a gap therebetween, a gaseous discharge tube connected between the two ends of said conductor defining said gap, said tube having a pair of spaced electrodes adapted to be coupled to a source of ionizing potential, said electrodes adapted to initiate and to sustain a gaseous discharge plasma therebetween, a coating of light-responsive material on the wall of said tube in the space between said electrodes for increasin the high frequency conductivity of the plasma in response to the light energy derived therefrom, and means to isolate said sources from each other.
  • isolation means further comprises an inductive impedance serially connected in the ionization discharge path of said tube.
  • a radio frequency transmission line comprising a metal line conductor having two ends defining a gap therebetween, a gaseous discharge tube having an envelope of transparent, insulating material, said tube disposed across the two ends of said conductor definin said gap, said tube having a pair of electrodes within said envelope at opposite ends thereof, said electrodes adapted to be coupled to a source of ionizing potential and to initiate and to sustain a gaseous discharge plasma therebetween, a first coating of a photo conductive material on the exterior of said envelope, said material electrically insulated from each of the ends of said conductor defining said gap, a second coating of a light-responsive material on the inner wall of said envelope electrically insulated from each of said electrodes, whereby the light energy derived from the discharge plasma acts on both of said material coatings to increase the radio frequency conductivity thereof.
  • a radio frequency transmission line according to claim 9 in which both coatings on said envelope are of a light-responsive electron emissive material.
  • a radio frequency transmission line conductor having two ends thereof defining a gap therebetween
  • a gaseous discharge tube having an enclosing envelope with a filling of an ionizable medium, a pair of spaced electrodes Within said envelope at opposite ends thereof, said electrodes adapted to be coupled to a source of ionizing potential and to initiate and to sustain a gas discharge plasma therebetween, said envelope having a coating of light-responsive material in the space between said electrodes, which material responds to light energy derived from said plasma, said tube disposed across the two ends of said conductor defining said gap, means to couple radio frequency energy from said line conductor into said plasma, said lightresponsive material adapted to enhance the radio frequency conductivity between the two ends of said conductor defining said gap.

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  • Discharge Lamps And Accessories Thereof (AREA)
  • Gas-Filled Discharge Tubes (AREA)
US63284A 1948-12-03 1948-12-03 Gas discharge transmission arrangement Expired - Lifetime US2643297A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BE521169D BE521169A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1948-12-03
US63284A US2643297A (en) 1948-12-03 1948-12-03 Gas discharge transmission arrangement

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Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2721953A (en) * 1950-10-02 1955-10-25 Rothstein Jerome Electron discharge device
US2745011A (en) * 1952-05-20 1956-05-08 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Very high frequency gas discharge noise source
US2760163A (en) * 1954-10-11 1956-08-21 Itt Radio frequency propagating systems
US2772377A (en) * 1951-08-29 1956-11-27 Kazan Benjamin Device for electronically controlling the propagation of radio frequency power
US2801389A (en) * 1952-11-18 1957-07-30 Ernest G Linder High energy bombardment-inducedconductivity control of electrical circuits
US2843732A (en) * 1955-10-21 1958-07-15 Rca Corp Millimeter wave generator
US2848649A (en) * 1952-01-24 1958-08-19 Itt Electromagnetic wave generator
US2856589A (en) * 1954-04-20 1958-10-14 Rca Corp Light-controlled waveguide attenuator
US2887665A (en) * 1953-12-31 1959-05-19 Bell Telephone Labor Inc High frequency isolator
US2896086A (en) * 1957-07-01 1959-07-21 Hewlett Packard Co Attenuator network
US2928056A (en) * 1954-05-25 1960-03-08 Rca Corp Means for utilizing solid-state materials and devices for the electronic control of guided electromagnetic wave energy
US2953713A (en) * 1958-03-25 1960-09-20 Roger White Electron Devices I High speed electronic r. f. vacuum switch
US3003078A (en) * 1958-04-10 1961-10-03 Philips Corp Travelling-wave tube
US3073990A (en) * 1958-06-23 1963-01-15 Itt Radio frequency attenuator
US3648100A (en) * 1969-03-24 1972-03-07 Westinghouse Electric Corp Electrodeless pulsed illuminator
US4034258A (en) * 1974-06-28 1977-07-05 Thomson-Csf Device for attenuating very short parasitic waves in electronic tubes
WO2001078188A1 (en) * 2000-04-05 2001-10-18 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable plasma electromagnetic waveguide
US6369763B1 (en) 2000-04-05 2002-04-09 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable plasma antenna
US6710746B1 (en) 2002-09-30 2004-03-23 Markland Technologies, Inc. Antenna having reconfigurable length
US20040130497A1 (en) * 2002-07-17 2004-07-08 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable antennas

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1955335A (en) * 1929-01-18 1934-04-17 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Photoglow tube
US2229135A (en) * 1938-03-21 1941-01-21 Fides Gmbh Photoglow tube
US2258472A (en) * 1938-02-25 1941-10-07 Gen Electric Gaseous electric discharge lamp device
US2259040A (en) * 1936-04-22 1941-10-14 Gen Electric Electric discharge lamp
US2351895A (en) * 1940-05-11 1944-06-20 Allerding Alfred Electron tube device for ultra short waves
US2412659A (en) * 1942-05-30 1946-12-17 Rca Corp Electron discharge device
US2438873A (en) * 1944-05-24 1948-03-30 Sylvania Electric Prod Ultra high frequency switching device

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1955335A (en) * 1929-01-18 1934-04-17 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Photoglow tube
US2259040A (en) * 1936-04-22 1941-10-14 Gen Electric Electric discharge lamp
US2258472A (en) * 1938-02-25 1941-10-07 Gen Electric Gaseous electric discharge lamp device
US2229135A (en) * 1938-03-21 1941-01-21 Fides Gmbh Photoglow tube
US2351895A (en) * 1940-05-11 1944-06-20 Allerding Alfred Electron tube device for ultra short waves
US2412659A (en) * 1942-05-30 1946-12-17 Rca Corp Electron discharge device
US2438873A (en) * 1944-05-24 1948-03-30 Sylvania Electric Prod Ultra high frequency switching device

Cited By (23)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2721953A (en) * 1950-10-02 1955-10-25 Rothstein Jerome Electron discharge device
US2772377A (en) * 1951-08-29 1956-11-27 Kazan Benjamin Device for electronically controlling the propagation of radio frequency power
US2848649A (en) * 1952-01-24 1958-08-19 Itt Electromagnetic wave generator
US2745011A (en) * 1952-05-20 1956-05-08 Bell Telephone Labor Inc Very high frequency gas discharge noise source
US2801389A (en) * 1952-11-18 1957-07-30 Ernest G Linder High energy bombardment-inducedconductivity control of electrical circuits
US2887665A (en) * 1953-12-31 1959-05-19 Bell Telephone Labor Inc High frequency isolator
US2856589A (en) * 1954-04-20 1958-10-14 Rca Corp Light-controlled waveguide attenuator
US2928056A (en) * 1954-05-25 1960-03-08 Rca Corp Means for utilizing solid-state materials and devices for the electronic control of guided electromagnetic wave energy
US2760163A (en) * 1954-10-11 1956-08-21 Itt Radio frequency propagating systems
US2843732A (en) * 1955-10-21 1958-07-15 Rca Corp Millimeter wave generator
US2896086A (en) * 1957-07-01 1959-07-21 Hewlett Packard Co Attenuator network
US2953713A (en) * 1958-03-25 1960-09-20 Roger White Electron Devices I High speed electronic r. f. vacuum switch
US3003078A (en) * 1958-04-10 1961-10-03 Philips Corp Travelling-wave tube
US3073990A (en) * 1958-06-23 1963-01-15 Itt Radio frequency attenuator
US3648100A (en) * 1969-03-24 1972-03-07 Westinghouse Electric Corp Electrodeless pulsed illuminator
US4034258A (en) * 1974-06-28 1977-07-05 Thomson-Csf Device for attenuating very short parasitic waves in electronic tubes
WO2001078188A1 (en) * 2000-04-05 2001-10-18 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable plasma electromagnetic waveguide
US6369763B1 (en) 2000-04-05 2002-04-09 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable plasma antenna
GB2382728A (en) * 2000-04-05 2003-06-04 Asi Technology Corp Reconfigurable plasma electromagnetic waveguide
US6624719B1 (en) * 2000-04-05 2003-09-23 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable electromagnetic waveguide
US20040130497A1 (en) * 2002-07-17 2004-07-08 Asi Technology Corporation Reconfigurable antennas
US6876330B2 (en) 2002-07-17 2005-04-05 Markland Technologies, Inc. Reconfigurable antennas
US6710746B1 (en) 2002-09-30 2004-03-23 Markland Technologies, Inc. Antenna having reconfigurable length

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