Field emitted beam diagnostics for RF amplifiers

Summary form only given, as follows. Gated electron emitters, such as field emitter arrays (FEA) hold the potential for significantly impacting next-generation high frequency amplifiers. FEAs may allow for RF amplifier designs eliminate the high voltage power supplies, complex modulating circuitry, and magnetic field generation common with linear beam tubes. Microwave tubes as well as display devices require the capabilities of focusing the beam without excessive angular spread and of transporting the beam without losses. Beam diagnostics including emittance, angular distribution of the current and effects of coating of single and multiple tip arrays are imperative for the determination of array performance characteristics. Each one of these characteristics determination involves detection and simultaneous recording of field emitted electrons and their absolute position over a very small area. In order to minimize damage to the field emitters from ion bombardment it is prudent to operate in an ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) environment. An inchworm controlled microfabricated detector system with laser interferometric feedback has been developed to provide an absolute position characterization of the field emitted electrons in an UHV environment with nanometric precision. In its present form, the instrumentation is used to determine the angular distribution of the field emitted electrons. The addition of a few components will allow the measurement of emittance of the FEA's for electron gun design.