Design and Characterization of a W-Band Folded-Waveguide Slow-Wave Structure

A single-section slow-wave structure for a W-band folded-waveguide traveling-wave tube with operating bandwidth of around 4% was designed for delivering the output power of 50 W at the operating voltage of 13.5 kV and operating beam current of 80 mA. The design was carried out using analytical formulations and 3D electromagnetic simulations. The beam-wave interaction analysis was carried out using large signal Lagrangian analysis and particle-in-cell simulation. The folded-waveguide slow-wave structure along with input-output couplers and RF windows were fabricated. Cold test measurements were carried out for dispersion characteristics of the slow-wave structure and voltage standing-wave ratio and insertion loss characteristics of the RF window. The measured cold circuit parameters show close agreement with the analysis.