CHAPTER 3
MICROWAVE ‘O’ TYPE TUBES
INTRODUCTION
• The conventional vacuum tubes such as triodes, tetrodes,
and pentodes are used as signal sources of low output
power at low microwave frequencies.
• But because of there limitations , these are less useful as
signal sources for frequencies above 1GHz and are
completely replaced by Linear-beam tubes(O type) .
• Limitations of conventional vacuum tubes are,
Lead-Inductance and Inter-electrode Capacitance
effects
Transit-angle effects
Gain-bandwidth product limitation
• Lead-Inductance and Inter-electrode capacitance effects
– At frequencies above 1 GHz conventional vacuum tubes are
impaired by parasitic circuit reactances because the circuit
capacitances between tube electrodes and the circuit inductance of
the lead wire are too large for a microwave resonant circuit.
– As the frequency is increased up to microwave range ,the real part of
the input admittance may be large enough to cause a serious
overload of the input circuit and there by reducing the operating
efficiency of the tube.
• Transit Angle Effects
--The Electron transit angle between the electrodes is expressed as,
– When frequencies are below the microwave range , the transit angle is
negligible. At microwave frequencies the transit time(or angle) is large
compared to the period of the microwave signal and the potential between the
cathode and the grid may alternate from 10 to 1000 times during the electron
transit.
– The grid potential during the negative half cycle thus removes energy that was
given to the electron during the positive half cycle , consequently the electron
may oscillate back and forth in the cathode grid space or return to the cathode.
– The overall result of transit angle effects is to reduce the operating efficiency of
the vacuum tube. The degenerate effect becomes more serious when the
frequencies are well above 1 GHz. Once the electrons pass the grid , they are
quickly accelerated to the anode by the high plate voltage.
• Gain bandwidth product limitation
-- In ordinary vacuum tube the maximum gain is generally achieved by
resonating the output circuit.
-- For any given tube , a higher gain can be achieved only at the expense of
narrower bandwidth.
-- In microwave devices either reentrant cavities or slow wave structures
are used to obtain a possible overall high gain over a broad bandwidth.
O-type Travelling tubes are suitable for amplification.
Classification of different O-type tubes is ,
Two-Cavity Klystron
A Two-cavity klystron is a vacuum tube that can be used either as a
generator or as an amplifier of power, at microwave frequencies.
It operates by the principle of velocity and current modulation.
The schematic diagram of a two cavity klystron amplifier is,
• The other view of two-cavity klystron amplifier is,
Working Principle:
• It operates by the principle of velocity and current modulation.
• It consists of two cavities as shown in the figure,
• The cavity close to the cathode is known as buncher cavity or input
cavity, which velocity modulates the electron beam.
• The other cavity is known as catcher cavity or output cavity, it
catches energy from the bunched electron beam.
All electrons injected from cathode arrive at the first cavity with uniform
velocity. Those electrons passing the first cavity gap at zeros of the gap
voltage (or signal voltage) pass through with unchanged velocity.
Those passing through the positive half cycle of the gap voltage undergo
an increase in velocity. Those passing through the negative half cycle of
the gap voltage undergo a decrease in velocity.
As a result of these actions, electrons gradually bunch together as they
travel down the drift space. This variation of electron velocity in the drift
space is known as velocity modulation.
The density of electrons in the second cavity varies cyclically with time.
The electron beam contains an AC component and is said to be current
modulated.
The maximum bunching should occur approximately midway between the
second cavity grids during its retarding phase, thus the kinetic energy is
transferred from the electrons to the field of the second cavity. The
electrons then emerge from the second cavity with the reduced velocity and
finally terminates at the collector.
Bunching process
• Output power and beam loading
The characteristics of two-cavity klystron amplifier are,
Efficiency : About 40%
Power output : average power (CW power) is up to 500kW and
pulsed power is up to 30MW at 10GHz
Power gain : about 30 dB.
