Seong-Tae Han

Microfabrication of millimeter wave vacuum electron devices by two-step deep-etch x-ray lithography

The circuits for millimeter wave vacuum electron devices with all circuit elements including an electron beam tunnel are microfabricated by two-step deep-etch x-ray lithography (x-ray LIGA). The discrepancies of eigenfrequency between experiment and simulation are within 1.1% in a coupled-cavity structure and 1.4% in a folded waveguide structure when the operating frequency is about 100GHz. Furthermore, a measured tolerance of below 2μm, and a measured surface roughness of 20–70nm, of LIGA-fabricated circuits implies the two-step LIGA microfabrication has potential applications up to the submillimeter wave region.

Low-voltage operation of Ka-band folded waveguide traveling-wave tube

Low-voltage operation of millimeter-wave folded waveguide traveling-wave tube (TWT) was investigated using a 12 kV linear electron beam. Backward wave oscillation operated at second space harmonic was observed with output power of 20 W, linear tunability of 6% within 0.01 dB/MHz, and voltage-frequency stability of 0.56 MHz/V. The measured frequency and output power are in a good agreement with the predicted values using a particle-in-cell (PIC) code. In addition, backward-wave interaction at second-space harmonic as an amplifier was observed with a measured linear gain of 15 dB and a bandwidth of 0.3%. For forward wave interaction, a linear gain of 25 dB, bandwidth of 17%, and efficiency of 7% were predicted for fundamental space harmonic using a PIC code. Improvement in efficiency was predicted for the forward-wave amplifier where it was operated as an oscillator employing a delayed feedback. Output power was increased by 10 dB in the delayed feedback oscillator comparing with the backward-wave oscillator. The effect of period doubling due to potential fabrication inaccuracies on the stopband was studied experimentally. The folded waveguide TWT fabricated using the Lighographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung (LIGA) process operated at much higher frequencies is discussed.

Investigations on a microfabricated FWTWT oscillator

A vacuum tube oscillator fabricated by the deep etch X-ray lithography: lithographie, galvanoformung, abformung (LIGA) process was successfully developed for the first time. For the proof-of-concept experiment involving a delayed feedback oscillator, a folding-waveguide traveling-wave tube (FWTWT) was fabricated by computer numerical control milling in advance. With a 12.4-kV and 150-mA electron beam, a Ka-band FWTWT amplifier shows a linear gain of 25 dB and a bandwidth of 10%. Applying a delayed feedback scheme, the threshold feedback strengths for the onset of oscillation and for self-modulation were measured to be -30 dB and -16 dB, respectively. The optimum value of the feedback strength for the single-frequency oscillation at 32.5 GHz was about -18 dB with a net electronic efficiency of 6%. The LIGA-fabricated FWTWT circuit was constructed by a lithographic process using the synchrotron X-ray source at the Pohang Light Source. The resulting accuracy and average surface roughness were less than 10 and 1 /spl mu/m, respectively. The LIGA-fabricated Ka-band amplifier shows a linear gain of 15 dB and bandwidth of 1.7% with a 12.4-kV, 47-mA electron beam. The threshold for the onset of oscillation was about -11 dB and the optimum value of feedback strength for a single frequency oscillation at 35 GHz with a net electronic efficiency of 3.5% was about -8 dB.

Experimental investigations on miniaturized high-frequency vacuum electron devices

We investigated the foundations for high-frequency vacuum electron devices experimentally, with emphasis on deep etch X-ray lithography: lithographie, galvanoformung, abformung (LIGA) to fabricate a miniaturized interaction circuit and a photonic crystal (PC) resonator to excite a stable high-order mode. The successful operation of a LIGA-fabricated folded-waveguide traveling-wave tube was reported. From such physical considerations as Debye length and photonic band gap, we proposed a reflex klystron adopting a cold cathode and a PC resonator.

Novel concepts of vacuum microelectronic microwave devices with field emitter cathode arrays

Field emitter arrays (FEA) are promising electron sources for vacuum microelectronic microwave amplifiers and oscillators. In this paper, microelectronic analogs of “classic” microwave devices are considered. Traveling wave klystrons, klystrodes and cross-field amplifiers with FEA are described. Basic output parameters (gain, efficiency, etc.) of these devices are calculated. A model of a self-excited vacuum microtriode oscillator is developed. The oscillator is studied numerically, as well as by experimental investigation of the circuit analog model. Chaotic generation in the oscillator under external harmonic driving is analyzed. The rf interaction with the electron beam modulated by the field emission in a twystrode is investigated using a particle-in-cell code and a one-dimensional nonlinear code.

Nonstationary behavior in a delayed feedback traveling wave tube folded waveguide oscillator

Folded waveguide traveling-wave tubes (FW TWT) are among the most promising candidates for powerful compact amplifiers and oscillators in millimeter and submillimeter wave bands. In this paper, the nonstationary behavior of a FW TWT oscillator with delayed feedback is investigated. Starting conditions of the oscillations are derived analytically. Results of numerical simulation of single-frequency, self-modulation (multifrequency) and chaotic generation regimes are presented. Mode competition phenomena, multistability and hysteresis are discussed.

Wide-band semivane and heavily dielectric loaded helix traveling-wave tubes

Theoretical simulation of the dispersion and interaction impedance characteristics of a semivane loaded negative dispersion helical slow-wave structure, which is a slight variant of a conventional vane-loaded helix of a wide-band traveling-wave tube (TWT), was validated for the nonresonant perturbation measurement. While the experimental and theoretical results agreed well with respect to interaction impedance for both the semivane structure and the structure without vanes, there was disagreement found with respect to the dispersion characteristics of the semivane structure, which was explained quantitatively by the deformation that had taken place in assembling the structure. The output performance of a TWT using the semivane structure fairly agreed with the prediction by an in-house one-dimensional nonlinear Lagrangian code, with respect to saturated output power (/spl sim/50 W), saturated gain (/spl sim/40 dB), and lower-band-edge second harmonic level (/spl sim/-5 dBc), in the operating frequency range of 6-18 GHz, except at the low frequency end of the operating band, where the saturated power was less and the second harmonic level higher than predicted, a finding that may be attributed to the departure of the deformed structure from exhibiting a negative dispersion at the lower band edge.

High order mode formation of externally coupled hybrid photonic-band-gap cavity

The electromagnetic field distribution obtained from a finite-difference-time-domain simulation shows that a hybrid photonic-band-gap (PBG) cavity enveloped by a dielectric lattice and three metallic walls provides a better field uniformity of a high order mode, TMmn0, than a conventional one does under an external coupling with the maintenance of a high quality factor of the metallic cavity. Experimentally measured reflection and transmission scattering matrices of a TM550 mode show that the hybrid PBG structure improves the field uniformity to within 10% compared with a larger variation reaching a few tens of a percent with the conventional cavity under critical coupling.

Theoretical analysis of cross-talking signals between counter-streaming electron beams in a vacuum tube oscillator

The basic theory of cross-talking signals between counter-streaming electron beams in a vacuum tube oscillator consisting of two two-cavity klystron amplifiers reversely coupled through input/output slots is theoretically investigated. Application of Kirchhoff’s laws to the coupled equivalent RLC circuit model of the device provides four nonlinear coupled equations, which are the first-order time-delayed differential equations. Analytical solutions obtained through linearization of the equations provide oscillation frequencies and thresholds of four fundamental eigenstates, symmetric/antisymmetric 0∕π modes. Time-dependent output signals are numerically analyzed with variation of the beam current, and a self-modulation mechanism and transition to chaos scenario are examined. The oscillator shows a much stronger multistability compared to a delayed feedback klystron oscillator owing to the competitions among more diverse eigenmodes. A fully developed chaos region also appears at a relatively lower beam cur...

Synthesis of folded waveguide TWT

The folded waveguide traveling-wave tube (FWTWT) has the advantage of higher power capability, with reasonable bandwidth, compared with helix TWT and coupled-cavity TWT. The method of synthesizing the main parameters of FWTWT is studied and used for designing Ka-band devices. To verify the synthesis, the results are compared with those generated by simulation codes such as HFSS and three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) code for the estimation of cold and hot characteristics. From the synthesis, based on Pierces small signal theory, it is shown that plasma frequency sensitivity affects the growth rate. A Ka-band folded waveguide TWT has been designed from the synthesis and is under fabrication. Theoretical and experimental details are presented.