Comparative status report on microwave sources

At most conference sessions microwave tube workers present their results with few, if any, semiconductor workers in the audience. The semiconductor conferences likewise are not attended by microwave tube workers. The purpose of this paper is to present recent technology advances in both tubes and semiconductor based sources and amplifiers. In addition, the areas of clear advantage of each type source/amplifier will be delineated. Where the choice of tube/solid state source is not clear at this time the technology trends will be discussed. The market sizes and trends in the marketplace will also be presented.