The Rectification Mode in a Traveling Wave Tube with High Power and High Efficiency

The research on high-power and efficient rectification is one of the key and difficult points in microwave energy transmission systems for medium- and long-distance high-power transmission. Traveling wave tube amplification (TWTA) is widely used in wireless signal transmission systems, which is renowned for its high power and high efficiency compared with those of solid-state devices. The rectification mode of TWTA’s energy conversion is firstly reported by resetting the operating parameters without changing the structure. Pierce’s theory is utilized to derive that there are power amplification and rectification modes in the same traveling wave tube structure by using assumed propagation parameters for rectification conditions firstly. The numerical simulation result is in good agreement with the theoretical result. Moreover, it is shown that the power capacity and efficiency of traveling wave tube rectification are almost the same as those of the TWTA of the same traveling wave tube structure. Experimental results of the TWTA product indicate that there is a rectification mode in the same energy conversion structure. At the same power, the rectification efficiency is lower than the amplification efficiency due to the use of an amplification collection stage.