Patent ID: 7446601

Claim:
A device to amplify a deflection signal comprising one or more voltage signals, the device comprising an emission wall and a detector wall separated from one another to define an evacuated drift cavity that presents an electron transmission pathway between the emission wall and the detector wall, the emission wall and the detector wall being parallel to one another; the drift cavity extending between an emission wall surface at a terminus of the emission wall proximate to the drift cavity and a detector wall surface at a terminus of the detector wall proximate to the drift cavity; an array of electron guns disposed behind the emission wall, each electron gun in the array of electron guns configured to emit electrons as current of a beamlet into the drift cavity, through the emission wall and along the transmission pathway toward the detector wall, each electron gun in the array of electron guns having a corresponding beamlet deflector that is operable for receipt of the deflection signal, and the aggregate of emitted beamlets forms an electron beam positioned relative to the transmission pathway, the electron beam forming a beam spot on the detector wall, and the aggregate of beamlet deflectors forms an electron beam deflector such that in a quiescent state of the deflection signal the electron beam is transmitted on the transmission pathway in a non-deflected mode, and in a non-quiescent state of the deflection signal the electron beam deflector deflects the electron beam in a swept mode of sweeping action that moves the beam spot along a sweep pathway at the detector wall; a detector forming one or more areas on the detector wall for selective collection of the electron beam according to positioning of the beam spot, the detector including a construction that is capable of responding to the selective collection by generating an output current.