Announcing our workshop on Mechanical Engineering behind RF Cavities - coming up in SeptemberDetails are now up online on our forthcoming workshop: Mechanical Engineering behind RF Cavities workshop coming up in September and I'm delighted to share details of two of the talks.

Claudio Paoloni will present on

Microfabrication processes for millimetre wave vacuum electron devices

Abstract:

The resurgence of millimetre wave (30 -300 GHz) vacuum electron devices  is fostered by emerging applications that need power level precluded to solid state technology. However, the short wavelength poses substantial challenges for the fabrication of the metal waveguides that must assure the interaction with the electron beam. The talk will describe the most advanced microfabrication approaches for millimetre wave backward wave oscillators and traveling wave tubes.

Bio

Claudio received the degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome 

“Sapienza”, Rome, Italy. Since 2012, he has been Cockcroft Chair with the Department of Engineering, Lancaster University, Lancaster, U.K. Since 2015, he has been the Head of Engineering Department. He is author of more that 200 publications. He is coordinator of the European Commission Horizon 2020 project TWEETHER “Traveling wave tube based W-band wireless network for high data rate, distribution, spectrum and energy efficiency” and Horizon 2020 ULTRAWAVE project “Ultra-capacity wireless layer beyond 100 GHz based on millimeter wave Traveling Wave Tubes” for millimetre waves high capacity wireless networks. His research fields are millimetre wave vacuum electronics devices and applications, wireless networks, microfabrication. He is IEEE Senior Member. He is Chair of the IEEE Electron Device Society Vacuum Electronics Technical Committee.


James Mitchell will present on
HOM Couplers: Designing for Manufacture


Abstract:

Higher Order Mode (HOM) couplers damp modes higher in frequency than the fundamental mode by providing a power flux to an external load, whilst acting as an electrical short to the operating mode.

To achieve the transmission response, the required circuit equivalencies are often only achievable using complex geometries.  When this is coupled with high current beams as well as operation in the superconducting regime, a multitude of manufacturing difficulties arise.

This presentation will detail the operation and evolution of the DQW crab cavity HOM coupler, specifically highlighting design decisions related to manufacturing and operational aspects.

Finally, a new concept will be presented, specifically looking at the performance trade-offs associated with a simpler design.

Bio:

James is a nuclear engineering graduate from Lancaster University.  Whilst at Lancaster, he completed his dissertation on ‘Radiotherapy Linac Design’.  This project involved the design, manufacture and test of a Radio Frequency (RF) cavity for hadron therapy.  The project received ‘the Project Award’ from the IMechE.

As a result of the project, James is currently pursuing his PhD.  Still in accelerator technology, James works on the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.  The electromagnetic superconducting ‘crab’ cavities work with very high-energy proton beams at temperatures of 2 K, hence requiring multi-disciplinary engineering skillsets.

Specifically, James works on areas surrounding Higher Order Modes (HOMs) which exist above the frequency of the operational mode.  Currently James is focussing on ways to optimise the performance of HOM Couplers (devices which extract high frequency power) taking into account manufacturing considerations.