Text: The Crossed-Field Amplifier (Amplitron) The CROSSED-FIELD AMPLIFIER (cfa), commonly known as an AMPLITRON and sometimes referred to as a PLATINOTRON, is a broadband microwave amplifier that can also be used as an oscillator. The cfa is similar in operation to the magnetron and is capable of providing relatively large amounts of power with high efficiency. The bandwidth of the cfa, at any given instant, is approximately plus or minus 5 percent of the rated center frequency. Any incoming signals within this bandwidth are amplified. Peak power levels of many megawatts and average power levels of tens of kilowatts average are, with efficiency ratings in excess of 70 percent, possible with crossed-field amplifiers. Because of the desirable characteristics of wide bandwidth, high efficiency, and the ability to handle large amounts of power, the cfa is used in many applications in microwave electronic systems. This high efficiency has made the cfa useful for space-telemetry applications, and the high power and stability have made it useful in high-energy, linear atomic accelerators. When used as the intermediate or final stage in high-power radar systems, all of the advantages of the cfa are used. Since the cfa operates in a manner so similar to the magnetron, the detailed theory is not presented in this module. Detailed information of cfa operation is available in NAVSHIPS 0967-443-2230, Handling, Installation and Operation of Crossed-Field Amplifiers. As mentioned earlier, crossed-field amplifiers are commonly called Amplitrons. You should note, however, that Amplitron is a trademark of the Raytheon Manufacturing Company for the Raytheon line of crossed-field amplifiers. An illustration of a crossed-field amplifier is shown in figure 2-38

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