An Analysis Tool for Preliminary Heater Design

Spectra-Mat, Inc (SMI) has a long history of filament design and making the compromises required to meet the various requirements placed on the cathode heater. Filament design, however, remains a bit of a black art and is often the source of delays in cathode manufacturing. One designs a cathode and heater, manufactures the cathode, tests it at a given voltage, power and temperature, and then changes the heater design to meet the specified power. This can be an iterative loop taking multiple tries, each with an extended lead time and each at considerable cost