Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Nanoscale surface roughness effects on THz vacu...

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

Nanoscale surface roughness effects on THz vacuum electron device performance

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNConference contribution/Paperpeer-review

Published
Close
Publication date27/07/2015
Host publicationNanotechnology (IEEE-NANO) , 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on
PublisherIEEE
Pages55-58
Number of pages4
ISBN (print)9781467381574
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Vacuum electron devices are the most promising solution to generate power at Watt level at millimeter waves and terahertz frequencies. The three dimensional nature of metal structures required to provide an effective interaction between an electron beam and THz signal poses relevant fabrication challenges. At the increase of the frequency, losses are a relevant detrimental effect on performance. In particular, the skin depth, in the order of one hundred nanometers or less, constrains the maximum surface roughness of the metal surfaces below those values. Microfabrication techniques were proved in principle to achieve values of surface roughness at nanoscale level, but the use of different metals and affordable microfabrication techniques requires a further investigation for a repeatable quality of the metal surfaces. This paper will discuss on the nanoscale issues of metal waveguides for a 0.346 THz backward wave tube oscillator and a 0.22 THz traveling wave tube.