Sixty-percent-efficient miniature C-band vacuum power booster for the microwave power module

Results from a high-efficiency miniaturized C-band vacuum power booster (VPB) development program have resulted in the development of a miniature C-band traveling wave tube (TWT) operating at 32% circuit efficiency and 61% total efficiency at an output power in excess of 170 W at 100% duty factor. When combined with a microwave power module, this VPB results in a module DC-to-RF conversion efficiency of 51%. This high-efficiency power amplifier is particularly well suited for space and airborne applications where small size, light weight, and low thermal dissipation are required. Other parallel development of VPB´s operating at lower perveance and higher power has also been pursued and has resulted in nearly identical performance of 32% circuit efficiency and 61% total efficiency at power levels in excess of 240 W at 100% duty factor. A new TWT interaction code, CHRISTINE, is benchmarked with experimental data from several of these VPB´s. Simulated performance is seen to accurately predict experimental data