IOT electron gun design using beam optics analyzer

Summary form only given. Inductive output tubes (IOTs) have become increasingly important sources of high power RF at high megahertz and low gigahertz frequencies. Their high efficiency (>70%) and compact size make IOTs an attractive option for numerous application areas. IOT electron guns are unique in that cathode emission is controlled by a closely spaced grid that is also an element of the RF input cavity. However, the time dependent emission, small 3D grid features, disproportionate length scales (i.e. cathode-grid gap versus overall gun dimensions) and complex emission processes make computational design of IOT guns a challenging problem [1]. Recent work shows that one key simplification can be made: the time dependent features of IOT guns do not require full electromagnetic simulation. Thus, time-stepped electrostatic modeling is sufficient. The Beam Optics Analyzer (BOA) code [2] is well matched for this type of modeling.