Performance of electron beam semiconductor amplifiers

This paper discusses experimental results obtained with developmental electron beam semiconductor devices used as video pulse and rf pulsed amplifiers. These devices employ a grid modulated electron beam to control the current in a semiconductor target. Test results up to 860MHz with peak pulse power in the order of 30 watts are presented for rf amplifier operation. The output circuit was an untuned 50 ohm load. Also described is the performance of a video pulse amplifier with a peak power of 2 kilowatts and a risetime of 2 nanoseconds. The experimental results are compared to the theoretical predicted values.