Samsung Electronics : Patent Issued for Terahertz Interaction Circuit with Open Cavity Portion

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Electronics Newsweekly 

-- From Alexandria, Virginia, VerticalNews journalists report that a patent by the inventors Baik, Chan-wook (Yongin-si, KR); Ahn, Ho-young (Suwon-si, KR), filed on February 21, 2012, was published online on July 1, 2014.

http://www.4-traders.com/SAMSUNG-ELECTRONICS-CO-LT-6494906/news/Samsung-Electronics--Patent-Issued-for-Terahertz-Interaction-Circuit-with-Open-Cavity-Portion-18706730/

The patent's assignee for patent number 8768115 is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si, KR).

News editors obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: "The present disclosure relates to a terahertz interaction circuit, and more particularly, to a terahertz interaction circuit having a narrow open cavity structure.

"A terahertz frequency range between a microwave frequency range and an optical frequency range is used in the fields of molecular optics, biophysics, medical science, spectroscopy, or imaging or security. However, there have been few developments in the field of terahertz oscillators or amplifiers for generating terahertz waves due to physical and engineering limitations. Recently, as various new theories and fine processing technologies are introduced, the terahertz oscillators or amplifiers are being developed.

"In particular, there has been proposed an interaction circuit for oscillating terahertz waves through the interaction between an electronic beam and an electromagnetic wave in a terahertz oscillator using a vacuum electronic technology. In such an interaction circuit, electric field magnitude and interaction impedance are characteristic factors. As the strength of an electric field magnitude increases, the efficiency of converting the energy of an electronic beam into electromagnetic wave energy is improved. Interaction impedance is a factor in output efficiency and is proportional to the square of the electric field magnitude.

"Thus, the electric field magnitude affects the interaction impedance."

As a supplement to the background information on this patent, VerticalNews correspondents also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent: "One of more embodiments provide a terahertz interaction circuit having a narrow open cavity structure.

"According to an aspect of an embodiment, there is provided a terahertz interaction circuit that includes a waveguide through which electromagnetic waves pass, the waveguide having a folded shape and including a narrow open cavity portion; and an electron beam tunnel through which an electron beam passes, the electron beam tunnel penetrating through the waveguide.

"The electron beam tunnel may penetrate through the open cavity portion of the waveguide.

"The waveguide may be folded cyclically, each cycle of the waveguide may comprise an open cavity portion, and the electron beam tunnel may penetrate through the open cavity portion of each cycle of the waveguide.

"The waveguide may include a first tapered portion connected to one side of the open cavity portion and a second tapered portion connected to the other side of the open cavity portion, each of the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion having a cross section that gradually decreases toward the open cavity portion.

"The waveguide may have a rectangular cross section.

"The open cavity portion may have a shape that is narrowed along a direction in which the electron beam proceeds as compared to the remaining portions of the waveguide.

"The waveguide may have a circular cross section.

"The electron beam tunnel may have a rectangular or circular cross section.

"Electromagnetic waves of a millimeter wavelength range, a sub-millimeter wavelength range, or a terahertz frequency range may proceed through the waveguide.

"The waveguide and the electron beam tunnel may be formed in a block.

"The block may be formed of a metal material.

"The block may be formed of a non-metal material and inner wall surfaces of the waveguide and the electron beam tunnel are coated with metal."

For additional information on this patent, see: Baik, Chan-wook; Ahn, Ho-young. Terahertz Interaction Circuit with Open Cavity Portion. U.S. Patent Number 8768115, filed February 21, 2012, and published online on July 1, 2014. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8768115.PN.&OS=PN/8768115RS=PN/8768115