Computer Optimized Design of High Performance Vacuum Electronic Devices

Development of efficient, complex devices requires consideration of many inter-related parameters. For high power RF devices, electron beams in electrostatic and magnetostatic fields interact with RF fields in resonant cavities or propagating along a slow wave structure. The interaction physics is nonlinear, and time, frequency, material and temperature dependent. In the past, individual components of complex structures were developed independently using manually generated input and relying on the skill and experience of the designers. With increased complexity, the allowable parameter space for the design becomes too large for manual investigation. The development of advanced optimization and tolerance analysis algorithms now facilitate computer optimized design in an efficient, cost effective manner, providing the design codes are modified appropriately. Further, global optimization now becomes possible with several analysis codes linked to share common data. This program will implement advanced computer optimization and statistical tolerance algorithms into computational design codes for developing high performance vacuum electron devices producing RF power. The routines will include consideration for dimensional tolerancing, and material and thermal properties in the design analysis.