Microfabricated Circuits for Sheet Electron Beam Amplifiers in the Upper Millimeter-Wave Spectrum

The Phase-II technical objectives are the finalization of the circuit designs and the actual micro-fabrication and testing of the circuits, which are a critical component of any amplifiers and whose function is to convert the kinetic energy of the electron beam into RF power. The Phase-II work will build on the technical foundation established by the Phase-I feasibility study of the sheet-beam amplifier concepts. To achieve these objectives, we propose to develop detailed circuit prototype designs, generate engineering blue prints, micro-fabricate and cold test circuits that can eventually be integrated into a functional upper-millimeter wave amplifier. The interaction circuits will be fabricated at specialized facilities of our micro-fabrication partners. The proposed program is structured to mitigate potential fabrication risks by employing a proven micro-fabrication approach, which has been tested under our Phase-I program.