Broadband spatially combined amplifier array using tapered slot transitions in waveguide

Abstract

Most reported spatially combined or quasioptical amplifier arrays exhibit resonant narrowband performance (<10%) and have not addressed thermal management issues. We report a waveguide-based spatial combining scheme using broadband tapered-slot transitions, capable of realizing full waveguide band coverage (40% fractional bandwidth) with good thermal properties. An X-band prototype using eight medium-power GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) produced an output power of 2.4 W and 9-dB power gain at 1-dB compression, with a combining efficiency of 68% and </spl plusmn/1-dB gain variation over the full waveguide band (8-12 GHz).