Experimental and analytic studies of an RF load resistor

The pulsed output of an 850-MHz klystron was directed into a load assembly containing a water-cooled, 50-ohm resistor. The load was systematically subjected to high peak-power pulses from the klystron. Several thin-film resistors were tested and exhibited various damage patterns for different combinations of peak microwave power (33 kW-500 kW) and heat input. In order to better understand the phenomena observed, the electromagnetic field distribution inside the resistor housing was studied with WaveSim, a two-dimensional, finite-element scattering code. The conformal mesh of the program allowed accurate representations of the complex assembly geometry.