Performance improvements with advanced design foils in high-current electron beam diodes

A design for the vacuum/pressure barrier of an electron-beam diode ready to be fielded on a large krypton-fluoride excimer laser is described. The barrier is a composite foil, fabricated from carbon fibers, Kapton-membrane, epoxy, and copper foil. This composite foil has advantages over more traditional metal foils, exhibiting particularly high tensile strength and a high modulus of elasticity. Other important properties of these composites for use in KrF excimer laser applications include: high electron transmission with low loss to scattering, chemical compatibility with fluorine, low porosity, and low reflectivity in the ultraviolet. The mechanical properties of the composite foil allow the design of support structures (hibachis) which incorporate larger openings than are possible with metal foils with similar electron transmission characteristics