Numerical study of electron leakage power loss in a tri-plate transmission line

Numerical simulations have been conducted using NRL's DIODE2D computer code to model the steady-state behavior of electron flow in a radial diode and in its adjacent tri-plate transmission line (TTL). Particular attention was paid to the magnitude of the electron current flowing from the cathode to the anode surface in the TTL. A quantitative value for this effective power loss is given. The electron current is restricted mainly to the transition region in the TTL into which there is 'seepage' of the B(z) that is imposed in the diode gap. This finding highlights the importance of that region to diode designers.