Title :
High-Average-Power W-band TWT Development
Author :
Theiss, Alan J. ; Meadows, Clark J. ; Freeman, Ray ; True, Richard B. ; Martin, J. Michael ; Montgomery, Keith L.
Author_Institution :
L-3 Commun. Electron Devices, San Carlos, CA, USA
fDate :
6/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A PPM-focused TWT for airborne applications producing over 400 W of peak RF output power at 90.6 GHz and average-power levels between 150 and 180 W is described. Design goals of 1% bandwidth, 250 W of peak power, and 30 dB of gain have all been met despite the invariable fabrication errors in this nascent type of tube. The TWT utilizes a novel integral-pole-piece ferruleless-coupled-cavity-class folded-waveguide circuit that features thick iron pole pieces with hollowed out centers, and a gridded gun for fast beam modulation. This thermally robust circuit plus the tetrode gun represent two key enabling technologies for compact high-average-power TWTs in W-band.
Keywords :
millimetre wave integrated circuits; travelling wave tubes; PPM-focused TWT; RF output power; airborne applications; average-power levels; ferruleless-coupled-cavity-class folded-waveguide circuit; frequency 56 GHz to 100 GHz; high-average-power W-band TWT; integral-pole-piece folded-waveguide circuit; Electron guns; PPM focusing; TWTs; W-band RF; folded waveguides; slow-wave circuits;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2010.2041794
