June 2007

Penton’s

RF Power Modules Bring

Boost To L-Band Radars

Jack Browne, Technical Director

SOLID-STATE PULSED RADAR SYSTEMS rely on arrays of RF/microwave transistors to reach the requirements output power levels. As an alternative to these large numbers of power transistors, Microsemi Corp. ( www.microsemi.com) introduced a series of amplifier modules called Power Solution Modules for pulsed L-band radar applications. The compact modules provide as much as 800 W output power from 1200 to 1400 MHz to replace as many as four parallel 220-W power transistors in a radar amplifier.

The compact power modules are designed for ease of use, already impedance matched to 50 ohms at input and output ports. The modules measure just 3. 2 3. 2 0.21 in. and are available in 550-W (model 1214-550P), 700-W (model 1214-700P1), and 800-W (model 1214-800P) versions for medium-duration pulses (300-microsec- ond pulse width at 10-percent duty cycle). The highest-power module, model 1214-800P, delivers

The Power Solution Modules provide the equivalent output power of as many as four 200-W transistors for pulsed L-band radar applications from 1200 to 1400 MHz.

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800 W output power for 120 W input power, with 8. 2 dB minimum gain and 9. 5 dB maximum gain. Designed for collector voltage of 50 V, it achieves typical efficiency of 52 percent. The minimum input return loss is 10 dB. Maximum pulse droop is 0.5 dB, with a typical figure of 0.1 dB. The module exhibits thermal resistance of 0.15ºC/W.

Model 1214-700P1 offers 700 W output power from 1200 to 1400 MHz. The minimum gain is 8 dB, with maximum gain of 9.1 dB. Like its 800-W counterpart, it is designed for a collector voltage supply of 50 V and delivers typical efficiency of 52 percent. It also exhibits thermal resistance of 0.15ºC/W, with typical pulse droop of 0.1 dB. The

typical input return loss is 15 dB.

The lowest-power module, model 1214-550P, generates 550 W output power from 1200 to 1400 MHz for 87 W input power. It is designed for collector voltage of 42 V and provides collector efficiency of 50 to 55 percent with large-signal gain of 8 to 9. 4 dB. All of the modules employ a Class C common-base configuration and a proprietary Microsemi chip design. Microsemi Corp., 2381 Morse Ave., Irvine, CA 92614; (800) 713-4113, (949) 221-7100, Internet: www.microsemi.com.

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