Abstract: Diamond heat sink members are now employed to conduct thermal energy from slow wave structures in traveling wave type interaction devices to permit operation at high power levels. The diamond members are bonded to adjacent desired components by a method including heating an intermediate metal alloy of an inactive conductive metal and a small amount of a carbide constituent in a vacuum and the application of pressure. A critical temperature slightly above the melting point of the alloy of between 1000.degree. C and 1100.degree. C is required to wet and bond the alloy material to the diamond and any desired surface.

Abstract: A traveling wave tube amplifier is disclosed. The amplifier employs a helix derived slow wave circuit arranged for electromagnetic interaction with a stream of electrons for amplifying wave energy applied to the slow wave circuit. A plurality of loading conductors are disposed about the outside surface of the slow wave circuit and extending lengthwise thereof. The conductors are arranged such that the spacing from the conductors to the slow wave circuit decreases toward its downstream end. The conductors are arranged such that they conduct radio frequency currents longitudinally of the slow wave circuit and do not appreciably conduct r.f. current in the direction circumferentially about the axis r.f. power flow on the slow wave circuit. Such loading conductors serve to decrease the phase velocity for wave energy on the circuit over the passband of the circuit. As a result, the interaction efficiency is substantially improved over the passband of the traveling wave tube amplifier.