Power module technology for the 21st century

Power modules are highly miniaturized and fully integrated amplifiers (transmitters) operating in the microwave and millimeter wave frequency bands. Three traditionally dissimilar components, a traveling wave tube (TWT), power supply, and solid-state amplifier are integrated into one package to form the power module “supercomponent”. Depending on design requirements, the power modules deliver nominally 100 watts of continuous wave (CW) radio frequency (RF) output power with greater than 50 dB gain over bandwidths reaching 1.5 octaves. Various Microwave Power Modules (MPMs) have demonstrated unsurpassed efficiencies and previously unattainable noise performance for the required gain and output power levels. When compared to fielded military electronic systems, MPMs are one-tenth the volume and one-sixth the weight with 2.5 times the RF output power and 5 times the efficiency. MMIC and ASIC devices have been incorporated within the power modules to support the next generation high performance electronics requirements. A family of power modules is being developed from 2 to 40 GHz. This family of power modules can be used to support breadboard transmitter requirements for electronic countermeasures, radar, communications, phased arrays, and advanced material processing applications