Traveling wave tubes remain the best source for efficient generation of microwave power over broad frequency bandwidths. When compared to solid state technology, today's metal-ceramic traveling wave tube amplifiers combine low acquisition price with affordable maintenance and support. TWTA systems are smaller, lighter, and much more efficient than their SSA counterparts. TWT amplifiers do behave somewhat differently than SSAs. Following is a discussion of some of the more important TWT performance features and design attributes.

POWER BANDWIDTH

TWT power output is determined by the efficiency with which energy in the electron beam is converted to microwave energy (sometimes called "interaction efficiency" or "beam efficiency").

P_out = I_beam V_{beaminteraction}

Current emitted from a thermionic cathode obeys a 3/2 power law with respect to applied voltage

I_beam= KV^3/2_beam

where the constant K is called perveance. Perveance is an important design parameter since it is totally determined by electron gun dimensions. Using this expression, power output often is given by

P_out = KV^5/2_{beaminteraction}

CW (continuous wave) TWTs generally use electron guns which operate in the 0.2 to 1.0 x 10-6 perveance range while pulse TWTs push the limits imposed by practical electron gun design and magnetic focusing materials which is not much greater than 2.0 x 10-6. Interaction efficiency is determined by beam size, the uniformity of beam electron trajectories (often called beam laminarity), and helix circuit parameters such as helix and backwall diameter, helix pitch, dielectric support material and shape, helix loss, etc. It varies with frequency because the interaction of helix parameters in a given circuit change as frequency is varied. For example, backwall diameter predominantly affects low band edge performance while the shape of the dielectric rods predominantly affect the high band edge. Practical helix designs have band center interaction efficiencies which range from 10% to 25% and band edge to center efficiency variations of 50% or more. Practical bandwidths range from hundreds of Mhz to double octave (Fhi = 4 Flo). Teledyne specifies "rated output power" which typically is several tenths of a dB or more below saturation.