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Tubes in space - Very much aliveSome advantages of TWTs over SSDs are discussed. Wideband TWTs have been developed which can produce 20 W of RF power at 20 GHz with 40 percent efficiency, a figure three or four times that available from SSDs such as FETs. The basic performance of TWTs exceeds that of SSDs for any given bandwidth and frequency. SSDs are transit time limited, and their performance deteriorates fundamentally as the reciprocal of the square of the operating frequency. Power limits for SSDs have been reached or are quickly being approached. Free electron devices such as tubes have an efficiency advantage because electrons in the vacuum travel faster than bulk charges in SSDs. Combined SSD devices are prone to burnout and incur penalties due to the need to dissipate heat. TWTs have a 6.7:1 advantage in radiator area ratio. Recent progress in TWT technology has produced a tenfold increase in CW output power, doubled to quadrupled the efficiency, and pushed frequency ranges into the terahertz region, orders of magnitude beyond the SSD cutoff.
Document ID
19830046942
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Kosmahl, H. G.
(NASA Lewis Research Center Microwave Amplifier Section, Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1983
Publication Information
Publication: Microwaves & RF
Volume: 22
Subject Category
Electronics And Electrical Engineering
Accession Number
83A28160
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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