Pulsed RF Power Amplifiers

Scalable Pulsed Power Architecture

For very high power pulsed applications Empower developed a scalable amplifier with an expandable system hardware architecture designed to save you money- "you buy only the power you need today" and add power amplifier blocks later when your test or application requires more output power. Adding 3U power amplifier blocks in the future is accomplished easily and simply with no phase matching or other tuning required. For mission critical applications, which often require a complete spare backup system, our scalable architecture allows for this to be accomplished with minimal additional hardware at a fraction of the cost of a duplicate spare system. This scalable approach has the added benefit that one design covers many power levels so custom and semi-custom requirements are easily accommodated reducing our design effort to primarily that of the external combiner.

Alternatives to TWT

Solid state has a well documented overall cost of ownership and reliability advantages over the TWT in a continually expanding list of available power and bandwidth combinations. The first warning comes from recognizing the warranty on TWT amplifiers is often 1 year versus the standard 3 year warranty on equivalent SSPA’s. TWT’s also suffer from their single point of failure architecture in addition to inferior MTTF. Empowers pulsed SSPA’s amplifiers have a built in N+1 redundancy inherent to the architecture and for critical transmit applications a factory preset is available for “always transmitting” in the event of certain component failures or high VSWR conditions. Long duty cycles are also available.

Pulse Shape Duplicating

Here’s the problem we are solving: High power amplifiers do a poor job duplicating the input signal without distortions. Due to the pulse transient response of the amplifier the output will over shoot, ring and droop, introducing undesired low and high frequency components into other parts of the spectrum. By using a digital feedback loop within the rf chain, the amplifier issues can be fixed where they occur, within the amplifier, eliminating the need for exciter pulse manipulation or custom tuning. In most test applications merely duplicating the clean pulse of the input signal generator is a tremendous benefit but pulse shape duplicating will also duplicate imperfect pulses, which is new capability for EW threat simulation applications where this duplicating ability allows the amplifier to reproduce recorded adversary pulse signals with high fidelity. Consult the factory if this capability is desired.

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Reliable and Rugged

In addition to scalability, this amplifier offers an inherently rugged design and is based on our patented NEXT GENERATION architecture that virtually eliminates every internal connector found in the industries typical RF/Microwave amplifier system. Further, this electromechanical design improves reliability and SWaP, resulting in power density that is best in class.

WATCH VIDEO

Amplifier System is transmitting at full power (1 KW CW) while being subjected to extreme, mil-standard testing for shock and vibration.

These amplifiers have a high degree of software architecture and as a result we can add or modify features in software that performs functions that simplify your integration effort and schedule. We can match software call out and codes as well as send out commands from the amplifier to control external equipment according to your specifications. We can program the amplifier to respond to a variety of conditions based on your desires and needs, to ease your system integration or improve the overall performance of the system it is part of.