The Laddertron—A new millimeter wave power oscillator

The Laddertron is a multi-gap klystron using ladders. This paper describes the theory and experimental results of the tube. Two types of Laddertrons are distinguished, namely the -mode Laddertron and the π-mode Laddertron. The operation of each is analyzed and the equivalent circuit representations determined theoretically, whereby one can compute the resonant frequencies within an error of several per cent. A demountable experimental version of the π-mode Laddertron gave an output power of 10 watts for the 50-Gc band, an electronic tuning range of 300 Mc, and a mechanical tuning range of 2.5 Gc.