E-band Traveling Wave Tube for High Data Rate Wireless Links

E-band (71 – 76 GHz and 81 – 86 GHz) is already used for point to point links with a few Gigabit/second data rate. Front-ends are powered by solid state amplifiers with about 2 – 3 W output power. This output power values limit range and spectral efficiency and have to be compensated by high gain antennas. The availability of tens of Watt would allow higher spectral efficiency and long range, and the use of lower gain antennas for multibeam and area coverage. This paper reports the design and the initial fabrication of the first ever E-band Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) based on the double corrugated waveguide. A test short interaction structure TWT is in assembly phase as proof of concept with about 2 W output power. The final TWT is designed to provide about 70 W power and about 40 dB gain.