Design of a High-Q Diamond-Loaded Cavity for a Third-Harmonic Subterahertz Gyrotron Driven by a Low-Power Electron Beam

A continuous-wave (CW) high-harmonic gyrotron driven by a low-power electron beam is a compact radiation source demanded by terahertz applications. Its physical feasibility, however, is hampered by ohmic losses and mode competition in the gyrotron cavity. An ultralow-loss diamond loading of the cavity can give a clue to this problem. This article is concerned with theoretical aspects of mode selection and design for a gyrotron cavity loaded with coaxial rod made of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond. As an example, the design of a high-Q diamond-loaded cavity for a third-harmonic 658-GHz gyrotron powered by a 0.1-A, 15-kV electron beam is presented. It is shown that the designed cavity enables the gyrotron to produce up to 116-W output power in a single oscillating mode.