Programme Element: ARTES 5.1
Reference nr.: 13.1TT.43
Planned Tender Issue: quarter 4, 2013
(*) Priority 2
The objective of the activity is to design, manufacture and test one prototype of a high-power, wideband, Q/V-band vacuum amplifier for future high-capacity telecom gateways.
Targeted Improvements: Depending on the technology, current ground V-band HPAs provide RF power of 100-500W with bandwidths between 0.5 and 2 GHz. This activity targets ground HPAs with up to 1KW RF power and up to 5GHz instantaneous BW. This will allow meeting the needs of future high-capacity telecom gateways (up to 2KW within the 42.5-51.4 GHz range) with minimum power combining and number of tubes within the 9GHz BW.
Description:
Future high-capacity telecom gateways are expected to require up to 1 KW RF transmit power, within the 42.5-51.4 GHz range.
The RF output power of current ground V-band (EHF) HPAs ranges between 100W (TWT, European technology) and 200W (TWT, US technology), up to 500W (EIK, US/Canadian technology) with bandwidths between 0.5 and 2 GHz, depending on the type of slow-wave structure/technology employed (helix, coupled cavities, EIK). These existing solutions will not meet future requirements.
The activity aims at exploring the technological limits of high-power wideband Q/V-band vacuum amplifiers. It shall be divided in two phases. The first phase will be dedicated to the technology trade-offs and preliminary design of the tube. The possible technological solutions (TWTs, klystrons, EIKs), especially for what concerns the SWS (helix, folded waveguide, coupled cavity), shall be critically compared in view of the competing needs of high-power (up to 1KW) and large bandwidth (up to 5GHz). In addition, the following factors shall be taken into account for the technological trade-offs:
- Matching of the phase in case power combining is required to achieve the desired 1KW transmit power at Gateway level.
- Optimisation of the tube bandwidth in view of the transmit signal bandwidth, which will be preliminarily provided by the Agency.
In a second phase, a prototype of a Q/V-band ground vacuum amplifier will be manufactured and tested.
(*) Priority 2 activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one delegation.
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