Spectra-Mat controls every production process for dispenser cathodes to guarantee consistency of cathode performance. Thanks to this strong technical base in material science and vacuum technology, Spectra-Mat is today the worldwide reference supplier of dispenser cathodes of any sizes for all microwave tubes, x-ray tubes, arc flash lamps, neutron generation and ion lasers. Spectra-Mat dispenser cathodes enable many advanced applications in telecommunication, medical, industrial, aerospace and defense markets. Due to the strategic addition of Spectra-Mat to SAES in 2008, today SAES is able to provide a complete solution for electron emission (dispenser cathodes up to complete e-guns) and vacuum issues (porous getters and getter vacuum pumps) to the entire worldwide vacuum tube industry and to particle accelerators.
Over the years, by leveraging our material science knowledge for refractory metals, Spectra-Mat developed a new line of tungsten alloys for radiation shielding and of highly porous tungsten structures for different applications. Moreover, Spectra-Mat was able to also phase in the growing market of solid state microwave devices, likely to partially replace vacuum tubes in the long run, by developing a totally new line of products based on tungsten and molybdenum infiltrated with copper. Today Spectra-Mat is supplying thousands of WCu submounts per month to cool down high power semiconductor lasers for industrial and defense application. With the same product line, Spectra-Mat is also serving the growing GaN devices market of power amplifiers for telecom and defense applications, enabling SAES to offer complete solutions (thermal management materials, hydrogen getters and dispensable driers) to the expanding GaN and Ga As applications.
Cathodes
Our indirectly heated cathodes are foundation in microwave devices and x-ray tubes. Serving the entire microwave market from small terahertz devices to large klystrons and specialty MBKs and other gun types, our cathode can be found in every aspect of society – medicine, space, defense, communications, electronic inspection, and providing cutting edge technology in US national labs.
Our hollow cathodes are currently being installed in multiple low earth orbit systems. The patented directly heated cathode developed by us has been the mainstay of noble gas lasers for five decades. These are renown for their robustness and longevity, often outlasting the gas reservoir itself. For further details, visit the Spectra-Mat brand website at www.spectramat.com.
Thermal Management
The CTE of our copper tungsten and molybdenum copper heat spreaders is constant across the room temperature past the solder melting temperature range. Furthermore, our products have consistent and equal thermal conductivity in all x-y-z directions. These characteristics are due to our unique processing method of infiltrating copper in a highly homogeneous sintered tungsten matrix.
Along with our superior material quality and performance, we pride ourselves on our machining capabilities, satisfying customers who have demanding or challenging specifications such as sharp edges or rather tight tolerances.
As we operate on a customized design basis, we look forward to satisfying your design needs and desires. Please visit us at www.spectramat.com
