An 8-1 Single-Stage 10-kW Planar Gysel Power Combiner at 352 MHz

A compact single-stage 8-1 Gysel Combiner in planar technology for operation with 352-MHz pulses with peak output power of 10 kW has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The module has 0.2-dB insertion loss when operated at nominal power, and the return loss of all ports is 20 dB or better. The module was operated using 3.3-ms pulses at 14-Hz repetition rate without any signs of degradation, thermal heating, or arcing. The new design makes use of inclusions of weakly coupled lines in the common point section of the Gysel combiner. It is possible to adjust port imbalances caused by parasitic line coupling in the system for optimum performance at a given frequency by adjusting the coupling.