A low-noise X-band microwave source with digital automatic frequency control for electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

We report a new design of microwave source for X-band electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer. The microwave source is equipped with a digital automatic frequency control circuit. The parameters of the digital automatic frequency control circuit can be flexibly configured for different experimental conditions, such as the input powers or the quality factors of the resonator. The configurability makes the microwave source universally compatible and greatly extends its application. To demonstrate the ability of adapting to various experimental conditions, the microwave source is tested by varying the input powers and the quality factors of the resonator. A satisfactory phase noise as low as −135 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset from the center frequency is achieved, due to the use of a phase-locked dielectric resonator oscillator and a direct digital synthesizer. Continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance experiments are conducted to examine the performance of the microwave source. The outstanding performance shows a prospect of wide applications of the microwave source in numerous fields of science.