Discharge Control Electrode Patents (Class 313/308)
  • Patent number: 5123039
    Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and method for obtaining energy from high electrical charge density entities. The energy may be received by the conductor of a traveling wave device positioned along the path which the propagating entities follow. Multiple traveling wave devices may be combined. Energy output from a traveling wave device may also be directed to the generation of a subsequent such entity. Thermal energy may also be obtained from an EV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1992
    Assignee: Jupiter Toy Company
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Shoulders
  • Patent number: 5079476
    Abstract: A solid state field emission device having a cathode that is peripherally disposed about the anode and axially displaced with respect thereto. The device itself is encapsulated, readily manufacturable, and has comparable operating properties, vis-a-vis one another when manufactured in quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert C. Kane
  • Patent number: 5054046
    Abstract: Disclosed are high electrical charge density entities, generated in electrical discharge production. Apparatus for isolating the high charge density entities, selecting them and manipulating them by various guide techniques are disclosed. Utilizing such apparatus, the paths followed by the entities may be switched, or selectively varied in length, for example, whereby the entities may be extensively manipulated. Additional devices are disclosed for the manipulation and exploitation of these entities, including their use with a camera and also in an oscilloscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Jupiter Toy Company
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Shoulders
  • Patent number: 5054047
    Abstract: Disclosed are self-contained high electrical charge density entities, generated in electrical discharge production. Apparatus for isolating the high charge density entities, selecting them and manipulating them by various guide techniques are disclosed. Utilizing such apparatus, the paths followed by the entities may be switched, or selectively varied in length, for example, whereby the entities may be extensively manipulated. Additional devices are disclosed for the manipulation and exploitation of these entities, including their use with a camera and also in an oscilloscope, as well as their use in generating RF radiation. A flat panel display is disclosed which is operated by these high charge entities, up to the point of their generating electrons to strike a phosphor screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Jupiter Toy Company
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Shoulders
  • Patent number: 5053673
    Abstract: Structures and methods of manufacture for field emission cathodes having cathode tips of minute size, whereby a block formed of pairs of substrates each having a patterned thin layer of cathode material sandwiched therebetween is sliced into a plurality of sections, to obtain array substrates each having an array of exposed regions of cathode material. A metal layer for constituting electron extraction electrodes and corresponding extraction apertures is formed over these exposed regions and appropriately shaped, after first forming mask layer portions upon the exposed cathode material regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Tomii, Akira Kaneko, Toru Kanno
  • Patent number: 4983878
    Abstract: In a method of forming a field-induced emission device, a cathode is provided on a substrate, for example by etching away the substrate to leave a pointed projection. The projection may be covered with a metallic layer to enhance the field-induced cathode emission. A first insulating layer is formed over the substrate, with an aperture therein corresponding to the cathode position. An apertured control grid layer is formed over the first insulating layer and an apertured second insulating layer is formed thereon. A tunnel formed by the apertures in the insulating and conductive layers is filled with a plug of soluble material. An anode strip is formed on the second insulating layer and over the plug, and the plug is then dissolved through gaps at the edges of the anode strip, thereby leaving an unsupported area of anode strip over the cathode. The tunnel may then be evacuated or may be filled with gas and the gaps at the edges of the anode strip will then be sealed to retain the vacuum or gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Assignee: The General Electric Company, p.l.c.
    Inventors: Rosemary A. Lee, Nandasiri Samarakone, Neil A. Cade
  • Patent number: 4956574
    Abstract: A field emission device wherein two collecting electrodes are provided to selectively collect electrons that are emitted from an emitting electrode as induced by a gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert C. Kane
  • Patent number: 4950962
    Abstract: A high voltage switch tube with a central cathode cylindrically symmetric to and surrounded by a tubular anode, with a grid interposed between the cathode and anode. A high negative voltage is applied to the cathode, but the flow of electrons to the anode is blocked by the grid which is held near cathode potential. After a space charge is created at the grid by electrons from the cathode, the grid is pulsed to ground potential, releasing electrons from the cathode to yield a very high current pulse. The cathode is preferably a graphite foam sleeve mounted on a support structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Quantum Diagnostics, Ltd.
    Inventors: Curtis Birnbach, Jay Tanner, Richard Heese
  • Patent number: 4891730
    Abstract: A monolithic microwave integrated circuit is enclosed within an ionizable gas filled housing having a terminal protection device integral with the circuit's substrate. A photon generating region extends within the substrate and along a portion of the surface area of the substrate for facilitating the ionizing of the gas. First and second electrodes, in contact with the substrate surface area and disposed on opposite sides of the photon generating region, have a plurality of cantilevered protrusions extending over the surface of the substrate and equally spaced from one another forming spark-gaps therebetween. One electrode is connected to an input to the device while the other is connected to ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Stephen E. Saddow, Robert V. Garver, Roger Kaul
  • Patent number: 4877996
    Abstract: An electron tube, for example, a transmitter tube of the triode type, comprising in an evacuated envelope a mesh or cage cathode (3) and an anode (1). By providing a control electrode (4) near the cathode (3) on the side thereof remote from the anode (1), the output power of the tube can be controlled by means of a potential difference between the control electrode (4) and the cathode (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1989
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Dirk van Houwelingen, Jozephus J. M. Warringa
  • Patent number: 4874981
    Abstract: Several embodiments of a thin film field emission cathode array are described which automatically shape the beams of emitted particles, without the addition of shaping or other electrode structure. A potential field pattern is established to control the trajectory of the emitted particles, by controlling the electromagnetic interaction of the conductive structures responsible for the particle emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1989
    Assignee: SRI International
    Inventor: Charles A. Spindt
  • Patent number: 4712039
    Abstract: An integrated circuit including a plurality of active devices each including a thermionic cathode or a cold cathode, an anode, and a grid element, all coplanarly disposed on an insulating substrate in a vacuum. A plurality of electrostatic lens elements also are exposed on the substrate to produce electric fields that control the trajectories of electrons emitted by the cathodes to prevent the electrons from migrating to and charging up exposed portions of the substrate and the inner surface of the vacuum envelope and thereby preventing such charge buildup from altering the electrical characteristics of the active devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1987
    Inventor: Lazaro M. Hong
  • Patent number: 4604554
    Abstract: A triggered spark gap discharger having a small auxiliary gap in the trigger pulse path. The auxiliary gap provides ultraviolet radiation to liberate electrons at the trigger probe and allow prompt firing of the trigger gap and primary gap, particularly in aged discharger units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1986
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Roy E. Wootton
  • Patent number: 4578733
    Abstract: A surge voltage arrester wherein a pair of main electrodes are respectively fitted in a gastight fashion to both open ends of a hollow cylindrical body formed of insulating material, wherein the discharge planes of the main electrodes are set opposite to each other in a hollow cylindrical body wherein at least one electrically conductive member extends along the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical body in its circumferential direction and faces one of the main electrodes at a prescribed interval, wherein at least one narrow electrically conductive strip electrically connected to the electrically conductive member extends along the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical body in its axial direction and faces the other of the main electrodes at a prescribed interval, and finally wherein at least one external electrically conductive member extends along the outer wall of the hollow cylindrical body which is capacitively coupled to the electrically conductive member extending along the inner wall of the hollow cyli
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1986
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sankosha
    Inventors: Daizo Shigemori, Haruo Kunii, Masaaki Endo
  • Patent number: 4528474
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for producing a high electron beam current having a low energy spread at a high brightness of the beam and a uniform intensity distribution. The electron beam is extracted from an emission current which consists of used emission current and unused emission current. The used emission current has a uniform intensity distribution. The apparatus produces a negligibly small unused emission current by using both a frustum shaped cathode and a multi-electrode. The cathode comprises a thermoelectron emissive material having a low work function and one or more thin layers which cover the side surface of the cathode. A material of the outermost thin layer has a high work function. The multi-electrode consists of the cathode, a first grid electrode, a second grid electrode and an anode electrode. The used emission current is generated from the top surface of the cathode. The unused emission current that is generated from the side surface of the cathode is negligibly small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1984
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1985
    Inventor: Jason J. Kim
  • Patent number: 4491893
    Abstract: A gas filled surge arrester which has an extremely fast response to rapidly increasing surge voltages. A pair of electrodes define a discharge gap which is held in the range of 0.02 mm to 0.25 mm. A high electron emission ability substance partially fills a cavity in each electrode. At least a pair of conductors are associated with each electrode. The conductors define a discharge gap with the opposite electrode. The gap is held in the range of 0.02 mm to 0.30 mm. A gas made up of one or more of the noble gases and hydrogen fills the arrester. The hydrogen is held in the range of 0.1% to 20% of the total volume of the gas in the arrester.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1985
    Assignee: Reliance Electric Company
    Inventor: Toshiharu Toda
  • Patent number: 4393334
    Abstract: A flat-panel gas discharge cathodoluminescent display includes a plurality of mutually parallel, electron-transmissive accelerator electrodes respectively connected to sources of high positive voltage levels to increase the acceleration voltage of the display without causing ionization of the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 12, 1983
    Inventor: David Glaser
  • Patent number: 4287548
    Abstract: A surge voltage arrester has a gas-filled housing in which main electrodes are disposed opposite one another, and supported by a tubular insulating member on whose interior side at least one ignition strip extends over a portion of the tube length. There is applied, on the exterior side of the insulating member at least one electrically conductive layer, clamp, or electrode, which at least partially overlaps, from the exterior, the ignition strip. The arrester has a low impulse breakdown voltage, so that the difference between the impulse breakdown voltage and the DC breakdown voltage is substantially reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1981
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Axel Hahndorff
  • Patent number: 4096541
    Abstract: An overvoltage protection circuit, in particular for protection against lightning. It comprises, in an ionizable atmosphere, three electrodes in the form of plates secured to an insulating support. One of the said electrodes is a discharge ignition electrode penetrating into a discharge gap between the two other electrodes, which are discharge electrodes. One of the two latter is connected to the ignition electrode through an electrical resistor. The assembly of the electrodes is located inside a case filled by the said atmosphere and inside which the electrodes and resistor are secured to a plate of insulating material which constitutes the said insulating support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1977
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1978
    Assignees: Etat Francaise, Agence Nationale de Valorisation de la Recherche (ANVAR)
    Inventors: Jean A. Bohin, Max Goldman
  • Patent number: 4092559
    Abstract: Disclosure is made of a low-inductance (L = 0.5 to 3 mH) controlled discharger for commutating megampere currents, having a maximum controllability range with respect to voltage, and a small operation lag. The low inductance and high transmitting capacity are due to the formation by a creeping discharge of a multichannel (from 10 to 40 channels) breakdown over the surface of a thin-layer dielectric element. Two main electrodes and one control electrode placed therebetween are arranged on one side of a dielectric element of a flat or cylindrical shape, whose reverse side has a current-conducting layer. The multichannel discharge accounts for small electrode erosion and, in combination with the gas-generating properties of the dielectric, ensures multiple operation of the discharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1978
    Inventor: Pavel Nikanorovich Dashuk
  • Patent number: 4091436
    Abstract: A knob type surge voltage arrester has electrodes with conical or semi-circular shape. A coating consisting of electrically conductive material (an ignition aid) is provided on the insulating member. The conductive coating on the insulating body is positioned at a level corresponding to the center of the discharge path defined by active electrode surfaces of the electrodes. The spacing of the active electrode surfaces from one another is smaller than the spacing of the active electrode surfaces relative to the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1978
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Lange, Gerhard Peche
  • Patent number: 4084208
    Abstract: A surge arrestor is provided having two electrodes attached at opposite ends of an insulator tube. Portions of the respective electrodes extend toward each other to define a gap therebetween. At least one conductor is attached to the inner surface of the tube in the vicinity of the gap. The conductor is completely separated from the electrodes and covers a substantial portion of the inner surface of the tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1978
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: A. Bazarian, J. S. Bonnesen
  • Patent number: 3979646
    Abstract: A surge voltage arrester having a gas-tight housing includes a pair of electrodes arranged at a distance opposite one another and with their active surfaces facing one another. The electrodes are inserted into respective ends of a tubular insulating body which carries at least one coating of electrically conductive material on the inner surface thereof extending over a portion of the tube length, the coating of electrically conductive material defines at least the envelope of a surface whose normal is approximately at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the surface voltage arrester. The coating of electrically conductive material may be punctiform circular, oval, triangular or polygonal. The coating may also be a semiconducting material, rather than a conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 1974
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1976
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Peche, Gerhard Lange, Dieter Grueneberg