E-band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifer with Carbon Nanotube Cathode

ABSTRACT: RadiaBeam Technologies, LLC proposes to develop a Carbon Nanotube (CNT) cathode Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA). The frequency range of operation is in the E-band (71-76 GHz). The TWTA will be suitable for use in satellite communications. The utilization of innovative CNT cathodes will allow the exploitation of a broad spectrum, 5GHz, available in the millimeter wavelengths for high data rate battlefield communications. Thus, it will be possible to obtain satellite communications uplinks that will operate at multi-gigabit per second data rates and well understood weather attenuation factors, such as rain fade. In such a way, link budgets would be effectively realized. BENEFIT: There are two major markets for the technology being developed in this project. For Military/Defense applications, Traveling Wave Tubes can be used as RF amplifiers for wideband systems, such broadcasting, radar and satellite communications. For commercial applications, they find application in bandwith-intensive commercial communication arenas such cellular and wide band mobile communications and high speed data transfer.