A critical topological review for microwave power modules

Holland, JM; Pickert, V; Elgendy, MA; Henderson, G

doi:10.1049/icp.2021.1166

A critical topological review for microwave power modules

Lookup NU author(s): Joel Holland, Professor Volker Pickert, Dr Mohammed Elgendy, Dr Gina Henderson

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Abstract

© PEMD 2020. All right reserved. Recently, developments in Microwave Power Module (MPM) technologies have transformed to adapt to wider varieties of emerging radar and communication system needs. A renewed interest in MPM technology has emerged due to the possibility of significant reductions in size, weight, and efficiency when compared to standalone solid-state and travelling wave tube (TWT) amplifier systems. Designing the electronic power conditioner (EPC) for an MPM is not a trivial task. The need to reduce both size and weight is in direct conflict with the required specification of an MPM, which requires multiple high voltage outputs in the kilovolt range with very low steady-state and dynamic output voltage ripple to ensure phase-noise stability of the tube. Furthermore, the transient behaviour of the MPM is particularly challenging, with output pulsing schemes ranging from long, slow pulses for high position fidelity and short, fast pulses for accurate dynamic tracking. During this time, the TWT beam current changes from full load to zero load. This paper focusses on the design of the EPC and outlines a critical analysis of the key enabling technological factors and topological choices that demonstrate how to meet such demanding specifications, and how standard approaches will most likely be sub-optimum.