Status and development of MPM

Abstract

MPM realizes the combination of solid-state power devices and vacuum electronic devices and has both advantages, widely used in military and commercial fields such as radar, electronic countermeasures, active bait, phased array and space communication. MPM module consists of three parts: 1) broadband, miniaturized vacuum power amplifier TWT (VPB TWT), the final amplifier of MPM module; 2) broadband, low noise microwave solid-state amplifier (SSA), pre-amplifier of VPB TWT;3) miniaturized, high-power integrated high-voltage power supply (IPC), and power supply which providing all the high and low voltage to VPB TWT, SSA and module monitoring. By properly distributing the gain between SSA and VPB TWT, MPM has both merit of the vacuum electronics and the solid-state devices. In the United States, 1991 MPM project formally implemented, then unique performance and superior performance of MPM attracted worldwide attention, and Europe and Japan have also launched active MPM and VPB TWT research programs with the same goals as those of the United States. After nearly three decades of development, the company's MPM products of Europe and the United States get miniaturized, serialized, modular, and its reliability was further optimized. Its development trend can be summarized as the following four points. miniaturization, the MPM parts need to be effectively integrated within a structure. Miniaturized TWT, the slow wave system manufacturing process must be replaced. To reduce the length of TWT, it is necessary to reduce the gain of TWT. The loss gain requires a solid state amplifier to compensate. Miniaturized SSA, combined with MMIC and microwave integrated technology, using high-density packaging technology, the researchers developed highly integrated microwave solid-state amplifier, to achieve the TWT excitation, equalization and phase shift and other functions. Miniaturized high-voltage power supply, the development of integrated power supply, especially enormous the power of the volume and stability of integrated power supply, is important to the development of MPM. Compared to the traditional linear power supply, integrated power supply greatly reduces its complexity, size, weight and cost.