A Review of the Development of Multiple-Beam Klystrons and TWTs

Abstract : This memorandum summarizes the current (as of 2002) development status of microwave and millimeter-wave amplifiers based on multiple electron beam technology. A brief historical perspective of multiple-beam amplifier (MBA) research and development in the U.S. and abroad is presented covering the period from 1940 to 2002. Based on material gathered from conference and workshop presentations and recent open-literature journal publications, we summarize the current state-of-the-art in MBA device performance in Russia, France, and the Peoples' Republic of China. In addition, we develop a set of scaling analyses comparing multiple-beam klystron performance with single-beam Mystron performance, including voltage, power, bandwidth, magnetic field, and dimensional scaling.