Industry Focussed Panel Session

Solid-State and Vacuum PAs: Latest Industrial Trends and Future Direction

Date: Wednesday 5th October 2016
Duration: 13:15 to 15:15        
Room:  14 
Panel Organizers and Moderators: Kamal K. Samanta, Sony Europe, UK; Allen Katz, Linearizer Technology/The College of New Jersey, USA

Abstract
Recently, the semiconductor technologies (GaN, LDMOS, SiC) have made enormous advancement in power, efficiency, linearity and bandwidth, which were unimaginable even few years ago. As a result, SSPAs are starting to replace vacuum devices such as TWTAs, magnetron and klystrons for high power industrial applications (100’s watts to kWs).  Areas affected include space/satellite, defence, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), communications and broadcast, medical imaging, and atomic reactors/accelerators.  In response to this challenge, the vacuum technology industry has continued to advance with higher power and efficiency, wider bandwidths at ever higher operating frequencies.

A comprehensive technical discussion will follow a short presentation from panelists. Both vacuum and semiconductor technologies will be represented with speakers from leading device and application industries in Europe and USA.

The panel will review the state-of-the-art in industrial development made over recent years and the current status of high power SSPAs (LDMOS, GaAs & GaN) and vacuum PAs (covering RF to mmW); the main application areas of commercially available products and systems; and the future trends and challenges.  Most importantly, the panel will discuss the impact of SSPAs on the traditional realm of vacuum based devices.

Panelists:      
* Carter M. Armstrong, Vice President of Engineering L-3 Communications, USA.
Advances in RF Vacuum Electronics

* Eric F. Nicol, Chief LTWTA Engineer, Space Systems Loral (SSL), USA.
Competition between TWTs and SSPAs heats up as new power levels are reached

* Roger Williams, President Ampleon, USA.
LDMOS Technology takes on the Industrial Magnetron

* Ralph Green, Research and Development Manager, Airbus Defence and Space Limited, Portsmouth, UK.
Advanced Space Applications for SSPA’s

* Dean White, Product Line Director, Qorvo Semiconductor, USA.
How solid state technology will revolutionize High Power RF applications

* Didier , Technology Manager, United Monolithic Semiconductor (UMS), France.
Status and Trends of GaN elementary HPAs for SSPA from L to Ku bands

* Kamal Samanta, Tech Lead mmW Front-End Modules, Sony Europe, UK.
  Advanced CW Kilowatts GaN SSPAs and Megawatts Tube-Based Systems

* Allen Katz, President Linearizer Technology/ The College of New Jersey.
  New Developments in Linearization of GaN Power Amplifiers

* Open discussion and concluding remarks