Experiments on a series of S-band crestatrons

IN recent years power klystrons, traveling-wave amplifiers and various forms of crossed-field amplifiers and oscillators have been produced in relatively large numbers with essentially reproducible characteristics. Gradually, these devices have found their way into more and more sophisticated systems applications with the logical result that they are competing with one another with regard to the most desirable set of characteristics such as weight, efficiency, bandwidth, average power capability, and modulation characteristics. The Crestatron amplifier described here affords a means of optimizing several of these characteristics in one device for certain applications.