Microwave oven magnetron design

Even a child can easily operate a microwave today. She became a familiar and reliable assistant. And at the same time, we very rarely think about how food heats up in a matter of minutes. And this happens thanks to the microwaves produced by the magnetron. Let's figure out how the device works.

What is a magnetron in microwave

Magnetron is the main part of a microwave oven . It is no coincidence that it is called the heart of the unit. The microwave properly performs its functions only if the magnetron is in good working order. The main task of the part is to create electromagnetic fields. The ability to control their emergence was established almost 100 years ago.

Reference. In 1921, a physicist from the USA A. Hull, in the process of experiments and experiments, discovered the ability to change the mass of electrons.

He also coined the very name magnetron. But high-frequency electromagnetic waves were discovered three years later, in 1924. Since that time, scientists have not only studied microwaves, but also learned how to use them.

Reference . These wave generators have been used in microwave ovens since the 60s of the 20th century.

How does a magnetron work in a microwave?

The design of the part requires minimal knowledge of physics. The flow of electrons occurs in the space between the anode and cathode.

Anode

In microwave ovens, copper is used for the anode. The cylinder shell is made from it. It's hollow inside.The cylinder wall is thick, its inner surface is uneven. In cross-section, the anode looks like a circle, along the entire length of which there are small half rings.

They are necessary to create additional resonance. There is no air inside the anode; a vacuum space is created there. To prevent the microwave waves created from remaining inside, one of the half-ring resonators has a special output.

Cathode

A cathode is laid through the center of the anode. They used an incandescent filament for it. Wires are provided to heat it. They connect the cathode to a heating source.

Important! The anode and cathode are placed in a special block that contains magnets.

Magnetron operating principle

So now we know that in the main part of the microwave, 2 different fields interact .

• The first of them is electronic . When the device is turned on and voltage is applied, electrons appear at the cathode, which move to the positive pole - to the anode.
• The second field is magnetic . It acts on the particles and returns them back to the cathode.

Once the electrons form a ring, a charge is created inside the magnetron. Moreover, the number of charges increases, since additional electron rings are formed in each half-ring resonator. This causes high-frequency oscillations to occur. Thus, the wave field of ultrahigh frequencies appears as a result of the interaction of electronic and magnetic fields. The microwaves generated in this process process the products.