Single Cavity Amplifier for the International Linear Collider

The International Linear Collider (ILC) will be the largest and most expensive accelerator ever built. Its radio frequency (RF) subsystems, which encompass a large amount of equipment (from external grid power to the delivery of RF to each of the 20,000 accelerating cavities), represent one of the largest single cost items in the ILC design. In the baseline ILC design, RF power will be distributed through a complex network of waveguide components to power multiple cavities in a parallel topology. This project will design and assess a single cavity amplifier (SCA) for the ILC. In this approach, a single amplifier system will drive each accelerating cavity in the ILC. Although this approach will require many more discrete systems, the simplicity of each SCA, combined with the manufacturing learning curves available through the production of 20,000 identical SCAs, would offer significant (30 - 70%) overall cost reductions. Phase I will assess the suitability of potential RF amplifiers for use in the SCA, and a prototype SCA will be designed. In Phase II, the prototype SCA will be built to verify the cost estimates, and the SCA will be provided to ILC cavity developers for assessment and refinement. Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the Applicant: The single cavity amplifier should have direct benefit to the cost and reliability of the ILC¿s RF systems, which are currently estimated to cost ~$1.2B. In addition, the design of modular, low-cost RF systems, which could be built in significant production quantities, could be adapted at a range of large accelerators and colliders, allowing them to reap the advantages of the ILC¿s production scale. The technology should be applicable to any large RF system, including those used in food processing, wastewater treatment, semiconductor manufacturing, and military systems such as radars and directed energy systems.