Abstract: An evacuated enclosure in the form of a cylindrical cavity having a dielectric located therein defines a dielectric guide for transporting an electron beam introduced into the cavity. The dielectric, which is disposed about the cavity wall, is operative to trap the charge associated with normal vacuum expansion of the electron beam. The trapped charge, in cases where the injected electron beam is not space charge limited, modifies the electric fields within the cavity in such a way as to provide focusing forces on the electron beam propagating through the cavity, the focusing forces being sufficient to quide a major portion of the beam through the enclosure without attenuation. Within the injected beam is space charge limited, the trapped charge induces an electrical discharge--either surface flashover or volume puncture of the dielectric--which liberates gaseous material. This gas then ionizes, is attracted by space charge electric fields into the body of the beam, and provides space charge neutralization.

Abstract: A pulsed laser or flash lamp produces a short duration pulse of light for thermal processing of selected regions of a semiconductor device. The light pulse is directed towards the semiconductor device and irradiates selected surface regions of the device to be processed. Energy deposited by the light pulse momentarily elevates the temperature of the selected regions above threshold processing temperatures for rapid, effective annealing, sintering or other thermal processing. The characteristics of the light pulse are such that only those surface vicinity regions to be processed are elevated to a high temperature and the remaining mass of the semiconductor device is not subjected to unnecessary or undesirable high temperature exposure.