Generation of a sheet beam directly from a scandia-doped dispenser cathode has been investigated and optimized by means of beam-profile simulations and measurements. Rectangular beams 600 mum wide and 100 mum thick with current densities over 50 A/cm2 have been generated. The beams are stable for at least several hundred hours with the cathodes operating at 950degCb, making them promising candidates for application in the next generation of terahertz vacuum electron devices such as a 0.5-THz superradiant Smith-Purcell radiation source.
Published in:
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
(Volume:56
,
Issue:
5
)
Date of Publication: May 2009