MICROWAVE TUBES

OBJECTIVE : HISTORY
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES USED AS AMPLIFIERS AND OSCILLATORS FOR A LONG TIME
AS FREQUENCY OF OPERATION KEPT INCREASING, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES FELL SHORT
ON POWER AND JUNCTION CAPACITANCES PLAYED HAVOC WITH SIGNALS
TUBES LIKE DIODE, TRIODE, PENTODE etc CONTINUED TO BE USED FOR AMPLIFICATION
EVEN HIGHER FREQUENCIES MADE TUBES NOISY WITH UNWANTED CAPACITANCES AND
INDUCTANCES
TRANSIT TIME OF ELECTRONS BECAME COMPARABLE TO
TOOK TIME TO BE REFLECTED AT THE o/p

& i/p POLARITY CHANGES

TRANSIT TIME WAS PUT TO USE THROUGH A SLEW OF DEVICES LIKE THE KLYSTRON,
MAGNETRON AND TWT FOR AMPLIFICATION

THESE TUBES CAME TO BE REFERRED AS LINEAR TUBES OR O TYPE TUBES

MICROWAVE TUBES
OBJECTIVE : SNAPSHOT OF FEW OF THE TUBES COVERED IN THE COURSE
THE FIGURES ARE ONLY TYPICAL OF THE TUBE
THERE ARE DEVICES WITH SPECIFIC DESIGN THAT EXCEED THESE FIGURES

KLYSTRON TUBE
OBJECTIVE : BASICS
IT IS A ROBUST DEVICE WITH OF 40%, PULSED POWER UPTO 30 MW @ 10 GHz AND
OPERATIONAL UPTO 40GHz

POWER GAIN CAN BE AS MUCH AS 30 dB WITH A BANDWIDTH OF ABOUT 5%

USED AS AN AMPLIFIER EXCLUSIVELY
CONSISTS OF MINIMUM 2 CAVITIES (i/p & o/p) WHERE RF IS INDUCED TO AND TAPPED
FROM RESPECTIVELY
MORE CAVITIES CAN BE USED FOR SHARPER AMPLIFICATION, INCREASED BW etc
IT HAS A CATHODE FROM WHICH ELECTRONS ARE EMITTED WHICH ARE ACCELERATED TO
THE ANODE.
THEY PASS THE ANODE THROUGH A GRID AND MOVE ALONG THE TUBE AND GET
COLLECTED AT THE COLLECTOR PASSING THROUGH THE CAVITIES
THE WHOLE GAME IS PLAYED IN THE DRIFT SPACE BETWEEN THE i/p & o/p CAVITIES

KLYSTRON - CONSTRUCTION
OBJECTIVE : SCHEMATIC OF PARTS & DEFINITIONS
L

( )

FILAMENT
VOLTAGE

RF AMPLIFICATION
BEAM
VOLTAGE

0 d

L+d L+2d

KLYSTRON REENTRANT CAVITIES

OBJECTIVE : WHAT IS THE FREQUENCY SUPPORTED BY A CAVITY
AT LOWER FREQUENCIES, RESONANT CAVITIES CAN BE
REPRESENTED BY LUMPED CONSTANTS

2b

2a

AS FREQUENCY GROWS, COILS BECOME LESSER

AND CAPACITANCE BECOME SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN TERMINALS / GAPS

IN THE MICROWAVE RANGE, A SHORT WIRE REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT INDUCTANCE

CAVITIES WITH METAL WALLS (INTERNAL) BEHAVES LIKE A COAXIAL CAVITY AND CAN BE
APPROXIMATED BY A SHORTED COAXIAL TRANSMISSION LINEFOR WHICH
=

AND

KLYSTRON REENTRANT CAVITIES

= SINCE REENTRANT COAXIAL CAVITY IS
EQUIVALENT TO A SHORTED TRANSMISSION LINE

OBJECTIVE : HOW IS L DERIVED

+ ()
()
()
=
=
=
= ()
+ ()

()
= + AND = FOR A LOSSLESS LINE
AND A REENTRANT COAXIAL CAVITY IS LOSSLESS
=
=

FOR A LOSSLESS LINE WITH INNER & OUTER

DIMENSIONS OF &

SUBSTITUTING 2 IN 1

3
=

KLYSTRON REENTRANT CAVITIES

OBJECTIVE : FREQUENCY OF REENTRANT CAVITIES
THE CAPACITANCE OF THE GAP IS GIVEN BY

AT RESONANCE,

= USING EQUATIONS 3 & 4, WE GET

READJUSTING THE TERMS AND SOLVING FOR THE FREQUENCY , WE GET,

=

KLYSTRON FREQUENCY OF OPERATION

OBJECTIVE : CONSEQUENCE OF THE LITTLE BIT OF ALGEBRA ON REENTRANT CAVITIES
=

SOLUTION TO THIS EQUATION GIVES FREQUENCY OF THE RESONANT CAVITY

DUE TO THERE ARE INFINITE SOLUTIONS DEPENDING ON THE CAVITY DIMENSIONS
& ARE RELATIVELY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE; BUT CAN BE CHANGED WITH TUNING SCREW
THUS THE CAVITY CAN BE TUNED TO ANY FREQUENCY OF CHOICE

WHEN THERE IS ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY IN THE CAVITY, NOISE WILL BE PRESENT

THE CAVITY WILL RESONATE AT THE TUNED FREQUENCY AMONG ALL PRESENT FREQUENCIES
THIS WILL PROVIDE ALTERNATING RF AT THE GAP. @ RESONANCE MAGNETIC AND ELECTRIC
ENERGIES ARE EQUAL

KLYSTRON RF COUPLING
OBJECTIVE : LIFE OF ELECTRONS ACROSS THE GAP
EMITTED BY THE CATHODE ARE ACCELERATED BY THE BEAM VOLTAGE () AND GAIN
KINETIC ENERGY

EQUATING THE KE WITH ENERGY GAINED BY DUE TO , WE GET

AND

(INITIAL VELOCITY ASSUMED ZERO)

VOLTAGE ACROSS THE GAP IS DUE TO INPUT RF SIGNAL IS

TIME OF ENTRY OF THE INTO THE GAP IS
TIME OF EXIT OF THE FROM THE GAP IS
TRANSIT TIME OF ACROSS THE GAP IS

= ()

AVERAGE PHASE DIFFERENCE CREATED IN THE RF SIGNAL BETWEEN THE GAP (OR
TRANSIT ANGLE ACROSS THE GAP IS

= =

= =

KLYSTRON RF COUPLING
OBJECTIVE : VOLTAGE FACED BY ELECTRONS ACROSS THE GAP
THE AVERAGE VOLTAGE IN THE GAP WILL TELL US WHAT ENERGY IS GETTING
TRANSFERRED TO THE GAP AND IS GIVEN BY

=
() =

=
( +) =
+
)

APPLYING ( + ) = WHERE = +
=

REARRANGING THE TERMS WE GET,

=

&=

KLYSTRON RF COUPLING
OBJECTIVE : CONSEQUENCE OF THE MATH SO FAR
THE BEAM COUPLING COEFFICIENT IS DEFINED AS

=
=

RF COUPLING IS HIGH IF IS SMALL

FOR SMALL THE BEAM COUPLING COEFFICIENT IS NEARLY UNITY
ANODE VOLTAGE INCREASES VELOCITY AND SHOULD BE AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE
GAP SHOULD BE AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE. AS IT INCREASES, COUPLING DECREASES
NOTATION FOR BEAM COUPLING FUNCTION IS GENERALLY DENOTING THE CAVITY
THOUGH TWO CAVITY KLYSTRONS ARE MOST COMMON

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : LIFE OF ELECTRONS AS IT ENTERS THE DRIFT SPACE
VELOCITY (DENOTED AS ) WILL CHANGE AS IT LEAVES THE GAP
THE KINETIC ENERGY WILL CHANGE DUE TO AS WELL AS (WITH TRANSIT ANGLE)
THE VELOCITY OF THE AS IT LEAVES THE GAP IS GIVEN BY

+ +

+
+

SINCE BEAM VOLTAGE IS VERY HIGH, BINOMIAL EXPANSION YIELDS

=

+
+

OR

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : LIFE OF ELECTRONS AS IT ENTERS THE DRIFT SPACE
AFTER LEAVING THE GAP, DRIFT IN THE SPACE OF LENGTH
DUE TO FAST CHANGING POLARITY OF THE RF SIGNAL, THE ELECTRONS ARE ACCELERATED
OR RETARDED
THERE ARE THREE CLASSES OF ELECTRONS AT THE EXTREMITIES OF THE RF CYCLE
THAT PASS THROUGH WHEN IS @ MAX -ve OF RF CYCLE
THESE GET DECELERATED (THOUGH MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS THE COLLECTOR)
THAT PASS THROUGH WHEN =
THESE WILL PASS THROUGH UNMOLESTED
THAT PASS THROUGH WHEN IS @ MAX +ve OF RF CYCLE
THESE WILL BE ACCELERATED

SLOWER WILL BE RETARDED ENOUGH & WILL MEET THE UNACCELERATED

FASTER WILL ACCELERATE & MEET THE GROUP OF EMITTED EARLIER
THUS THERE WILL BE BUNCHES IN THE DRIFT SPACE SAY @ A DISTANCE OF

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : VELOCITY MODULATION OF ELECTRONS IN THE DRIFT SPACE

ASSUMPTIONS MADE ARE

RF IN DRIFT SPACE IS ZERO
IS VERY SMALL & THERE IS NO VOLTAGE CHANGE OF RF AS THE PASSES THROUGH
TRANSIT TIME IS VERY SMALL COMPARED TO PERIOD OF RF
AND WILL PROGRESS ALONG THE TUBE
SPACE CHARGE IN CLOUD IS NEGLIGIBLE AND NO DE-BUNCHING DUE TO REPULSION

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : VELOCITY MODULATION OF ELECTRONS IN THE DRIFT SPACE
= +

AND = +

FOR THE UNMOLESTED =

FOR THE FASTER

= =

= +

= +
+ +

FOR THE SLOWER

= = +

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : VELOCITY MODULATION OF ELECTRONS IN THE DRIFT SPACE
FROM EITHER OF THE EQUATIONS, IS TO BE EVALUATED
EQUATION 1 WILL GIVE + &
EQUATION 2 WILL YIELD


=

SINCE THE SECOND TERM IN THE RHS MAY BE NEGLECTED

AND

THE SAME RESULT CAN BE DERIVED BY EQUATING EQUATIONS 1 & 2 SINCE (WITH
APPROPRIATE PHASE SHIFTS IS THE SAME FOR SLOWER AND FASTER

KLYSTRON VELOCITY MODULATION

OBJECTIVE : CONSEQUENCES OF THE ANALYSIS THUS FAR
THAT ENTER THE DRIFT SPACE, DOES NOT HAVE ANY RF FIELD FOR ACCELERATION
HENCE THEY WILL PROGRESS ALONG THE TUBE WITH INERTIA

BUNCHING DOES INDEED TAKE PLACE @ A DISTANCE OF

THIS IS CALLED VELOCITY MODULATION AND RESULTS IN BUNCHING
AS THE FASTEST AND SLOWEST MEET @ AS DO THE INTERVENING
DUE TO RESONANT CAVITY AND INPUT EXCITATION, OTHER FREQUENCIES DO NOT EXIST

BUNCHING TAKES PLACE @ BUT NO WORD SO FAR ON OPTIMAL BUNCHING POINT

FLOW OF BUNCHED REPRESENT CURRENT THAT WILL RISE & EBB @ THE CHOSEN RF
ENERGY FROM THE IS TO BE CAPTURED @ THE CATCHER CAVITY
HOW AND @ WHAT DISTANCE i.e. L IS THE NEXT DISCUSSION

KLYSTRON LENGTH OF DRIFT SPACE

OBJECTIVE : BUSINESS OF CATCHING OR RATHER CAPTURING ENERGY
TRANSIT TIME IN THE DRIFT SPACE IS GIVEN BY
NOTE THAT WAS EVALUATED IN ANALYSIS OF FASTEST AND SLOWEST

= =

BINOMIAL EXPANSION YIELDS

ARRIVAL ANGLE @ CATCHER CAVITY IS GIVEN BY

= =

KLYSTRON MAIN DESIGN PARAMETERS

OBJECTIVE : FOUR MAIN DESIGN PARAMETERS OF THE KLYSTRON
TRANSIT ANGLE ACROSS GAP =

THIS IS KEPT AS LOW AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE RF VOLTAGE DOES NOT CHANGE DURING THE
TRANSIT OF THE ELECTRON
ACHIEVED BY LEAST POSSIBLE GAP & LARGEST POSSIBLE -EFFECT OF BEAM VOLTAGE

BEAM COUPLING COEFFICIENT =

KEPT AS CLOSE TO UNITY TO ENSURE MAXIMUM COUPLING OF RF ENERGY TO BEAM

TRANSIT ANGLE ACROSS DRIFT SPACE =

ADJUSTED SO THAT RF CYCLE IS @ -ve MAX AT CATCHER CAVITY TO ENSURE MAX

RETARDATION OF & CONSEQUENT MAX ENERGY TRANSFER FROM BEAM TO CAVITY
(RF o/p)
BUNCHING PARAMETER =

WILL BE SEEN LATER THAT THIS PARAMETER FIGURES IN A BESSELs FUNCTION AND IS TO BE
SET @ 1.841 FOR MAXIMUM CURRENT a.k.a POWER

KLYSTRON OUTPUT CURRENT

OBJECTIVE : EVALUATION OF CURRENT @ CATCHER CAVITY
IF THE QUIESCENT CURRENT IN THE KLYSTRON (WITHOUT THE RF ) IS
CHARGE ACROSS GAP @ INPUT CAVITY IS GIVEN BY =

BY LAW OF CONSERVATION OF CHARGES, THE SAME CHARGE PASSES THROUGH THE

CATCHER CAVITY
=

AND

BUNCHES ARRIVE AT CATCHER CAVITY @ -ve MAX OF RF CYCLE ( IS SO ADJUSTED)

TRANSIT TIME IN THE DRIFT SPACE IS GIVEN BY =

= + +

= + +

DIFFERENTIATING wrt WE GET

=
+

KLYSTRON OUTPUT CURRENT

OBJECTIVE : THAT BESSELs FUNCTION AGAIN

THE CURRENT BEING PERIODIC CAN BE EXPANDED THROUGH FOURIER SERIES YIELDING
nth ORDER BESSEL FUNCTION OF THE FIRST KIND

= +

AS IS EXPECTED THERE ARE MULTIPLE FREQUENCIES CREATED BY THE PULSED CURRENT

KLYSTRON OUTPUT CURRENT

OBJECTIVE : THAT BESSELs FUNCTION AGAIN
THE OUTPUT CAVITY IS TUNED FOR THE RESONANT FREQUENCY OF INTEREST
AS THE OTHER FREQUENCIES HAVE A SHORT LIFE, THE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY
SURVIVES AND IS GIVEN BY
=

THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF CURRENT HAS A MAX AMPLITUDE @ = .

. = .
=
EARLIER WAS COMPUTED AS

DIFFERENCE TO THE TUNE OF 15% IS DUE TO APPROXIMATIONS MADE IN THE BINOMIAL

SERIES EXPANSION & DERIVATION OF

KLYSTRON POWER OUTPUT & EFFICIENCY

OBJECTIVE : MEAT OF THE MATTER
THE BUNCHES ARRIVE AT CATCHER CAVITY WHEN RF IS AT ITS MAX RETARDING PHASE
DUE TO THESE CURRENT INDUCED ON WALLS OF THE RESONANT CAVITY IS MAXIMUM
THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF CURRENT IS GIVEN BY

=
THE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT OF CURRENT HAS A MAX AMPLITUDE
= =
OUTPUT POWER IS

=
EFFICIENCY OF THE KLYSTRON IS

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS KLYSTRON

OBJECTIVE : PRACTICAL ASPECTS (MAY NOT BE NOT COVERED IN PRESCRIBED TEXT BOOK)
BUNCHING IS NEVER COMPLETE IN A KLYSTRON & THE TUBE IS NOISY

THEORETICAL EFFICIENCY IS 58% BUT PRACTICAL KLYSTRONS HAVE EFFICIENCIES

BETWEEN 15 TO 30 %

TUBES WITH 75 % EFFICIENCY & 50kW POWER HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED

TUBES WITH 250kV, 24 MW @ 2.5 GHz ARE IN USE

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS KLYSTRON

OBJECTIVE : PRACTICAL ASPECTS (MAY NOT BE NOT COVERED IN PRESCRIBED TEXT BOOK)
LIFE OF KLYSTRON IS BETWEEN 5 TO 10 YEARS
MULTICAVITY CAVITY KLYSTRONS USED FOR ENHANCING POWER & SOME INCREASED BW
PEAK TUNING AND SWEEP TUNING

FAN and COOLING

MAJOR ALARMS (BEAM CURRENT, AIRFLOW, DOOR OPEN, EXCESSIVE VSWR, TEMP
MINOR ALARMS
DEHYDRATORS

KLYSTRON

ASSUMPTIONS
OBJECTIVE : ASSUMPTIONS MADE IN ANALYSIS OF KLYSTRON THAT ARE BORNE OUT
FLOW IN THE FORM OF A BEAM BETWEEN THE CATHODE & COLLECTOR / REPELLER
THE BEAM HAS UNIFORM CHARGE DENSITY
THE BEAM WILL CREATE A SPACE CHARGE AND THE RESULTANT FIELD IS NEGLIGIBLE
COMPARED TO THE FIELD GENERATED BY THE BEAM VOLTAGE
THE COLLECTOR GETS HEATED AND SPECIAL AIR FLOW ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE TO
COOL THE KLYSTRON

PASS THROUGH THE GRILL-LIKE ANODE & CONTINUE ITS TRAVEL IN THE DRIFT SPACE
VERY POWERFUL MAGNETS PROVIDE NECESSARY FIELD TO FOCUS THE BEAM
AT THE END OF THE TRAVEL GET COLLECTED @ THE COLLECTOR WHICH IS AT A +ve
POTENTIAL (NOT AS HIGH AS THE BEAM VOLTAGE) & WALLS OF CAVITY IN REFLEX
KLYSTRON