A Direct-Reading Oscilloscope for 100-KV Pulses

This paper describes the design, construction, and performance of an electrostatic oscilloscope tube suitable for direct operation on peak deflection voltages of 100 kv and pulse widths of a fraction of a microsecond. The deflection system comprises an electrostatic field divider between the deflection electrode and the electron beam, so that the high deflection voltage causes only normal beam deflection at the screen. The tube may be calibrated at a low anode voltage and operated at a high one during pulse measurement, reducing dc calibration voltage requirements fivefold or tenfold. Use of the tube avoids difficulties encountered with resistance-capacitance dividers in measuring radar modulator pulses.