UK company launches X-band 200W and 400W gallium nitride power amplifiers

Diamond Microwave, a UK-based high performance microwave power amplifier company, has recently announced a range of compact microwave GaN-based pulsed solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs), including 200W and 400WX band SSPAs, as well as the upcoming addition of a 1kW C-band amplifier design and a 1kW X-band amplifier.

The DM-X200-04 and DM-X400-04 are compact pulsed X-band GaN SSPAs with a minimum peak pulse output power of 200W (+ 53dBm) and 400W (+ 56dBm) respectively over a 1300MHz bandwidth, with pulse widths up to 100μs and duty cycles up to 15%. Both models feature built-in phase control to optimise the power mix and are compact replacements for vacuum tube amplifiers (TWTs) in compact defence, aerospace and communications applications. The amplifiers are slimmer versions of the flagship DM-X200-02 and DM-X400-02 'smart' high power amplifiers (HPAs), measuring just 150mm x 197mm x 30mm.

These amplifiers can be combined with Diamond Microwave's bi-directional power synthesizers to form the DM-X1K0-03 and achieve peak pulse power in excess of 900 W. The DM-X200-04 and DM-X400-04 are equipped with an internal electronically regulated phase shifter for optimising the combined phase.

These designs are flexible in layout and construction and can be customised to individual specifications and enclosure requirements. n-type output connectors are fitted as standard, but waveguides are available as an option.

Richard Lang, Managing Director of Diamond Microwave, says: "Amplifiers based on our new ultra-thin platform are ideally suited to applications that do not require the sophisticated Ethernet monitoring offered by 'smart' amplifier platforms." Both common platforms have standardised mechanical and electrical interfaces and all our designs can be easily customised to meet individual requirements, for example, we have recently produced a high linearity product that can be designed with either gate pulse or drain pulse to meet the required amplification levels"

Diamond Microwave's 2.0GHz-6.0GHz broadband amplifiers feature a new housing design with a very compact power output along with standardised interfaces and operating characteristics. Two new models have also been added to the range: a 1kW pulsed C-band amplifier for 5.2-5.9GHz and an X-band 1kW amplifier mounted in a 19" rack enclosure.

Military satellite customer adds 25W X-band GaN blocker order
Advantech Wireless Technology of Taiwan, China, has been awarded a large quantity of 25W GaN-based blocking converters (BUCs) for military satellites.
The 25W GaN X-band BUCs are WGS certified and designed for harsh environments, mobile satellite communications (SOTM) and man-machine terminal deployments.

These advanced systems are extremely flexible and designed for outdoor operation," said Cristi Damian, Advantech's Vice President and Vice President of Business Development. Their high linearity, small size and low power consumption are particularly appreciated by customers."
The 25W X-band GaN BUC is an integrated unit consisting of a power supply, phase-locked oscillator, mixer, filter and cooling mechanism, with a total weight of less than 2.5kg.