Operation of a compact 1.03 THz power amplifier

Abstract

Northrop Grumman has extended its development of compact, microfabricated vacuum electronic amplifiers to 1.0 THz. Most recently, our 1.030 THz amplifier produced 29 mW at 1.03 THz with 20 dB of gain at saturation and 5 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth. The compact power amplifier is based on an electroplated, Si-DRIE folded waveguide slow-wave circuit, together with a high current density thermionic cathode, a high field permanent magnet solenoid, and a single-stage depressed collector for overall device efficiency.