William C. Brown
Encyclopedia
William C. Brown was an American
electrical engineer who helped to invent the crossed-field amplifier
in the 1950s and also pioneered microwave power transmission in the 1960s.
Brown received his BSEE from Iowa State University
in 1937, and his MSEE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1941. He joined Raytheon
in 1940 and began work on their magnetron microwave amplifier products. By 1952 his work on adapting magnetron principles to create a new broadband amplifier resulted in the 'Amplitron', today known more commonly as a crossed-field amplifier (CFA).
In 1961 Brown published the first paper proposing microwave energy for power transmission, and in 1964 he demonstrated on Walter Cronkite
's CBS Evening News
a microwave-powered model helicopter
that received all the power needed for flight from a microwave beam. Between 1969 and 1975 Brown was technical director of a JPL
-Raytheon program that beamed 30 kilowatts over a distance of 1 miles (1.6 km) at 84% efficiency. He continued to make important contributions to this emerging technology until his retirement from Raytheon in 1994.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electrical engineer who helped to invent the crossed-field amplifier
Crossed-field amplifier
A crossed-field amplifier is a specialized vacuum tube, first introduced in the mid-1950s and frequently used as a microwave amplifier in very-high-power transmitters....
in the 1950s and also pioneered microwave power transmission in the 1960s.
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in 1937, and his MSEE from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1941. He joined Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
in 1940 and began work on their magnetron microwave amplifier products. By 1952 his work on adapting magnetron principles to create a new broadband amplifier resulted in the 'Amplitron', today known more commonly as a crossed-field amplifier (CFA).
In 1961 Brown published the first paper proposing microwave energy for power transmission, and in 1964 he demonstrated on Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
's CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
a microwave-powered model helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
that received all the power needed for flight from a microwave beam. Between 1969 and 1975 Brown was technical director of a JPL
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
-Raytheon program that beamed 30 kilowatts over a distance of 1 miles (1.6 km) at 84% efficiency. He continued to make important contributions to this emerging technology until his retirement from Raytheon in 1994.