E-band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifer with Carbon Nanotube Cathode

ABSTRACT: RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC is developing a Carbon Nanotube (CNT) cathode Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA). The frequency range of operation is in the E-band (71-76 GHz). The TWTA will be suitable for use in satellite communications. The utilization of innovative CNT cathodes will allow the exploitation of a broad spectrum, 5GHz, available in the millimeter wavelengths for high data rate battlefield communications. Thus, it will be possible to obtain satellite communications uplinks that will operate at multi-gigabit per second data rates and well understood weather attenuation factors, such as rain fade. In such a way, link budgets would be effectively realized. The CNT cathode was fabricated and tested in Phase I, and the design of the TWTA was generated and numerically modeled. The results have been positive and have demonstrated feasibility. We classify the technology as having achieved TRL 3. The goal of the proposed Phase II project is to achieve TRL 6 by fabricating a complete, optimized E-band TWTA using the CNT cathode and testing it in a high-fidelity laboratory environment. BENEFIT: For Military/Defense applications, Traveling Wave Tubes can be used as RF amplifiers for wideband systems, such broadcasting, radar and satellite communications. For commercial applications, they find application in bandwidth-intensive commercial communication arenas such cellular and wide band mobile communications and high speed data transfer. In addition, the CNT cathode developed in this project will improve the performance and reliability of a wide range of vacuum electron devices.