State-of-the-art and recent developments of high-power gyrotron oscillators

Abstract

Gyrotron oscillators (gyromonotrons) are mainly used as high-power millimeter wave sources for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and diagnostics of magnetically confined plasmas for generation of energy by controlled thermonuclear fusion. High unit power and high efficiency single-mode CW gyrotrons with conventional cylindrical (1 MW) and advanced coaxial (2 MW) cavities are worldwide under development. 118 GHz, 140 GHz and 170 GHz conventional cavity gyrotrons with output power Pout≈0.5 MW, pulse length τ≈5.0 s and efficiency η≈35% are commercially available. Advanced internal quasi-optical mode converters generate linearly polarized output wave beams from the high-order cavity modes (e.g., TE22,6) with efficiencies of 90–95% and separate the millimeter-wave beam from the electron beam, thus allowing the use of large CW-relevant depressed collectors for energy recovery. Overall efficiencies between 50 and 60% have been already achieved at JAERI, FZK, and GYCOM employing single-stage depressed collectors (SDC). First successful experiments at FZK employing a broadband Brewster window gave up to 1.5 MW output power at around 50% efficiency (SDC) for all operating mode series in the frequency range from 114 to 166 GHz (frequency tuning in 3.7 GHz steps by variation of the magnetic field strength in the cavity). Gyrotrons with advanced coaxial cavities designed for operation in the TE28,16 and TE31,17 modes at 140 and 165 GHz, respectively, are under development and test at IAP Nizhny Novgorod and FZK Karlsruhe. A maximum output power of 1.7 MW has been measured at 165 GHz with an efficiency of 35.2% (SDC, FZK). Cryogenically edge-cooled single-disk sapphire (T=77 K) and Au-doped silicon (T=230 K) windows as well as CVD-diamond windows with water edge-cooling at room temperature are under investigation in order to solve the window problem. Commercial CVD-diamond disks will easily allow the transmission of 2 MW power level at 170 GHz, CW. Bonding and brazing techniques are available. Recently, gyrotron oscillators have also been successfully used in materials processing. Such technological applications require gyrotrons with the following parameters: ISM frequency f⩾24 GHz, Pout=10–50 kW, CW, η=30%. The present paper reviews recent developments and the state-of-the-art of high-power gyrotron oscillators for fusion plasma and industrial applications.