Which TM mode in rectangular waveguide has lowest cutoff frequency?

In a klystron the resonant structure limits the bandwidth.

A TWT is a broadband device. Its main components are electron gun (to produce the electron beam) and a structure supporting the slow electromagnetic wave.

The velocity of wave propagation along the helix structure is less than velocity of light.

The beam and wave travel along the structure at the same speed.

Thus interaction occurs between beam and wave and the beam delivers energy to the RF wave.

Therefore the signal gets strengthened and amplified output is delivered at the other end of tube.

The main features of TWT are :

1. Frequency range - 0.5 GHz to 90 GHz

2. Power output - 5 mW at low frequencies(less than 20 GHz) 250 kW (continuous wave) at 3 GHz 10 MW (pulsed) at 3 GHz

3. Efficiency - about 5 to 20%

4. Noise - about 5 dB for low power TWT 25 dB for high power TWT

TWT is used as RF amplifier in broadband microwave receivers, repeater amplifier in broad band communication systems, communication satellites etc.

Shunt conductance can be neglected in most of calculations.

In a travelling wave both x and t increase simultaneously so that a constant phase point moves in the direction of positive (or negative) x.

Matched load means no reflections.

It is somewhat similar to TWT and can deliver microwave power over a wide frequency band.

It has an electron gun and a helix structure. However the interaction between electron beam and RF wave is different than in TWT.

The growing RF wave travels in opposite direction to the electron beam.

The frequency of wave can be changed by changing the voltage which controls the beam velocity.

Moreover the amplitude of oscillations can be decreased continuously to zero by changing the beam current.

It features are:

1. Frequency range - 1 GHz to 1000 GHz.

2. Power output - 10 mV to 150 mW (continuous wave) 250kW (pulsed).

It is used as signal source in transmitters and instruments.

An Impatt diode has n⁺ - p - i - p ⁺ structure and is used with reverse bias.

It exhibits negative resistance and operates on the principle of avalanche breakdown.

Impatt diode circuits are classified as broadly tunable circuit, low Q circuit and high Q circuit.

The impedance of Impatt diode is a few ohms. The word Impatt stands for Impact Avalanche Transit Time diode.

The features of Impatt diode oscillator are : frequency 1 to 300 GHz, Power output (0.5 W to 5 W for single diode circuit and upto 40 W for combination of several diodes), efficiency about 20%.

Its applications include police radar systems, low power microwave transmitter etc.

A Klystron is a vacuum tube used for generation/amplification of microwaves.

An electron beam is produced by oxide coated indirectly heated cathode and is focussed and accelerated by focussing electrode.

This beam is transmitted through a glass tube. The input cavity where the beam enters the glass tube is called buncher.

As electrons move ahead they see an accelerating field for half cycle and retarding field for the other half cycle.

Therefore, some electrons are accelerated and some are retarded. This process is called velocity modulation.

The velocity modulation causes bunching of electrons. This bunching effect converts velocity modulation into density modulation of beam.

The input is fed at buncher cavity and output is taken at catcher cavity.

In a two cavity klystron only buncher and catcher cavity are used. In multi cavity klystron one or more intermediate cavities are also used.

The features of a multicavity klystron are :

1. Frequency range - 0.25 GHz to 100 GHz

2. Power output - 10 kW to several hundred kW

3. Power gain - 60 dB (nominal value)

4. Efficiency - about 40%.

A multicavity klystron is used in UHF TV transmitters, Radar transmitter and satellite communication.

Since fields are confirmed within a coaxial cable it is non-radiating.

Charging current and MVAR are proportional to frequency.

Reflection coefficient