Vacuum electronics applications at CERN

CERN operates a large number of vacuum electronics based RF power amplifiers covering a wide frequency range – over 300 sockets with 24 different grid tubes and klystrons are in use and require constant care to insure reliable operation of the accelerators. This is in particular true for the LHC and its injector chain, for which a program of improvement and stepwise upgrade has started. These include IOT’s for the SPS and klystrons and modulators for Linac4 and SPL. The CLIC study and the CTF3 facility are relevant to vacuum electronics in many ways: The CLIC primary RF power, to be provided at 1 GHz, requires highest possible efficiency and phase stability, MBK’s are likely candidates. The CLIC RF power source and CTF3 are themselves large vacuum electronics applications, consequently there are areas of common interest and concern, including fabrication techniques, pulse compression techniques, breakdown and multipactor theory and simulation, material fatigue, numerical analysis of slow-wave structures, vacuum compatible ceramics and damping materials, just to name a few.