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Robin Wesson, System Architect, Ampleon RF Power Innovation
In the simplest form, point A’ has the same phase and power
as point A, and B’ has the same phase and power as at point B. Folded geometry hot spot model of a two antenna system with and
without phase shift at one antenna
Solid state systems are much more flexible. They can also
perform this kind of power control, known as pulse-width-
modulation. However the period of the modulation can
be milliseconds or microseconds making the heat delivery
much more linear. If required, truly linear power control is Long term PWM heating prediction
also possible.
Indeed, solid state systems can operate with truly linear power 7.2 Frequency Accuracy And Stability
control, something impossible with the magnetron, eliminating The magnetron is an uncontrolled oscillator, without feedback
the over-heat-and-relax cycle entirely for those heating tasks mechanisms to monitor or set the frequency. Whilst some
requiring less than maximum power. systems have a mode stirrer which can modulate the
impedances seen by the oscillator causing a load pull effect,
this is at best a coarse mechanical form of modulation rather
than accurate frequency control.
The red and white lines represent the return loss on each
port, and green the combined ‘compound’ return loss.
(Return Loss is a measure of how well matched an RF circuit
or antenna is. It effectively means ‘how much of the power
that is transmitted doesn’t reflect back’. It is an inverse
Cavity containing a distributed load of potatoes
measure of cavity power retention efficiency)
Today many microwave ovens use a moisture sensor to When frequency and phase are swept, this detector provides
provide feedback from the cooking process. Solid state clear visual evidence of the effect on the field distribution of
systems provide an entirely new dimension to sensing. the controls available with solid state systems.
Simply measuring how much of the available RF power is
reflected from the cavity allows a system to modify cooking
time appropriately. Further, foods are complex substances
that are modified by the heating process. Turning a
microwave oven into a measurement system raises
additional possibilities. The following plots show a sequence
of frames of return loss measured over frequency at evenly
spaced times through the cooking of a beef burger.
• Enhanced lifetime
• Frequency accuracy of a few PPM
• Frequency tuning and fast frequency hopping
• Phase locking of multiple sources
• Phase control
• Enhanced power control through Linear and fast PWM
techniques
• Closed loop power control enabling repeatability
• Cavity reflection sensing and feedback of power and
phase
• Energy generation at new frequencies with compact form
factor
www.ampleon.com
© Ampleon Netherlands B.V. 2016
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior written consent of the copyright owner. The information presented in this document Date of release: January 2016
does not form part of any quotation or contract, is believed to be accurate and reliable and may be changed without notice. No liability will be accepted by the publisher Document identifier: AMP WP 2016 0114
for any consequence of its use. Publication thereof does not convey nor imply any license under patent- or other industrial or intellectual property rights. Printed in the Netherlands