Reflex Klystron

Pavithran S. Iyer
&
Rohan Sinha
November 20, 2009

1 AIM
To study the dependency on a reflex Klystron of varying microwave power output and
frequency on repeller voltage and to plot mode diagram.

2 APPARATUS
• Klystron Tube and cooling fan

• Regulated A.C. Power Supply

• Microwave test bench apparatus, including:

– Attenuator
– Frequency meter
– Waveguide Output

• Oscilloscope

3 THEORY
The klystron was the first vacuum tube invented to overcome transit-time effects in tri-
odes and tetrodes. Klystrons are the most efficient of linear beam microwave tubes and
are capable of the highest peak and average powers. They are useful over an extremely
broad frequency range, from low UHF (200 MHz) to W-band (100 GHz). The gain of
multi-cavity klystrons can be very high. Gains of 60 dB, or even higher, are not unusual.

1
Maximum peak power in klystrons is by RF breakdown, which may be a function of the
pulse duration. At 1-2 microsecond pulse lengths, 75-MW has been attained at X-band
and over 150 MW at S-band. Average power is a function of body cooling, since klystron
collectors, in principle, can be made arbitrarily large. At X-Band, a CW power of 1-MW
has been attained.
However, klystrons are narrow-band devices, compared with traveling-wave tubes,. For
many radar applications and for all electronic countermeasures (against radar), only
TWTs are suitable. Klystrons are useful for some communication applications, since
some klystron broad banding is always possible. A wide bandwidth in a klystron requires
a low-beam impedance (i.e. high perveance, and/or high power). At very high powers,
or high frequencies, lower perveance beams are used for better electron optics. In these
circumstances, 1% bandwidths for CW klystrons may be difficult. At a few megawatts
pulsed, at S-band, 10% bandwidth is possible. Low-power klystrons, particularly reflex
oscillators, lost the battle to solid-state replacements in radar and communication equip-
ment some time ago. However, millimeter-wave klystron amplifiers, producing several
tens of watts of average power, however, are not likely to be replaced by solid-state de-
vices, which cannot produce competitive power at these frequencies.
Klystron amplifiers have the advantage (over the magnetron) of coherently amplifying a
reference signal so its output may be precisely controlled in amplitude, frequency and
phase. Many klystrons have a waveguide for coupling microwave energy into and out of
the device, although it is also quite common for lower power and lower frequency klystrons
to use coaxial couplings instead. In some cases a coupling probe is used to couple the
microwave energy from a klystron into a separate external waveguide.

2
3.1 Reflex Klystron

The reflex klystron (also known as a ’Sutton’ klystron after its inventor is a microwave
tube that makes use of velocity modulation to transform a continuous electron beam into
microwave radiation. The oscillating frequency can be varied over a wide band and it
can easily be pulse and frequency modulated.
Electrons emitted from the cathode are accelerated by and pass through the positive
resonator grids towards the reflector. The reflector is at a negative voltage with respect
to the cathode, and consequently it retards and finally reflects (reflex - klystron) the elec-
trons, which then turn back through the resonator grids. These returning electrons will
set up a microwave field between the grids. Electrons interacting with the microwave field
will either be accelerated or decelerated and hence bunch up, that is the electrons tend
to travel in bunches. An electron bunch decelerating in the microwave field will deliver
energy to the resonator thereby causing the klystron to oscillate. Strongest oscillation
will occur when the transit time of the electron bunch in the reflector-resonator regions
is n + 34 cycles of the microwave frequency, where n is an integer, including zero.
The klystron is said to oscillate in different "modes". The frequency is primarily de-
termined by the dimensions of the resonator cavity. So by variation of the volume of
the resonator mechanical tuning of the klystron is possible. But, as can be seen, a small
frequency change can also be obtained by adjusting the reflector voltage (or the resonator
voltage). This is called electronic tuning.

The condition for resonance is hence (as shown in the pevious paragraph) that the
time taken for electron to travel through the gap, turn around and return back satisfies.
 
3
∴ t0 = n + T
4

Where T is time period (of the Waveform) and n ∈ N

4 PROCEDURE
• Adjust the voltage knob of source to middle position.

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 • Adjust the voltage knob of the beam to minimum position.

• Switch on both the klystron tube supply and the cooling fan together

• Swith the source knob to internal amplitude modulation’ mode.

• set beam voltage to around 270V .

• Vary repeller voltage from 70 − 180V .

• The beam is now adjusted so that the amplitude is around 5mA to 30mA.

• Adjust the frequency, till you get a sudden d́ip ín power out-put . This corresponds
to the frequency of the wave travelling in the microwave bench.

• Note both the microwave reading and the power output.

• Repeat the measurements for different repeller voltage values.

5 OBSERVATIONS
Given below is the data collected showing the resonance frequency for various repeller
voltages. The beam voltage was kept constant at 393 V, and the current was 36.6 mA.

4
Table 1: Data collected showing the repeller voltages and the resonance frequency at
those voltages.

S No Repeller Voltage (V) Resonance Frequency(Khz)

1 110 8.960
2 115 8.970
3 120 8.980
4 125 8.985
5 130 8.990
6 135 8.995
7 140 9.005
8 145 9.005
9 150 9.010
10 155 9.025

Given below is a graph for the above data collected. It can be seen that the relationship
is not linear. It has some sort of a turning point of point of inflection at about

Figure 1: Graph showing the variation of resonance frequency of the klystron with the
repeller voltage.

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6 CONCLUSION
The variation of the resonance frequency with the repeller voltage, was seen to be non-
linear.