High power peniotron development at Northrop Grumman

Summary form only given. The need exists for a compact efficient high power millimeter wave source for high resolution radar. At Northrop Grumman-Electronic and information warfare systems (NG-EIWS) this need is being addressed through the development of an advanced fast wave device-the harmonic peniotron. The primary effort under this program involves the development of a high power field-reversed electron gun. The Northrop Grumman gun design is based on the injection of an initially converging electron beam through a gradual field reversal. In addition to the gun development underway, progress has also been made on the design and testing of high power peniotron devices. Parts have been fabricated for a 20 kW, 4th harmonic 95-GHz peniotron oscillator using a rising sun circuit operating in the /spl pi/ mode. Initial device testing is scheduled to begin in early spring. Finally for high average power operation, 2/spl pi/ mode peniotron operation in a uniform slotted waveguide is also under investigation, Advantages of 2/spl pi/ mode operation over conventional /spl pi/ mode include the use of a thermally robust, simplified interaction circuit and straightforward circuit coupling, Results of a design study for a 50 kW 70 GHz fourth harmonic peniotron amplifier will be presented.