MICROWAVE MAGNETRONS

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MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

RADIATION LABORATORY SERIES

Board of Editors

LouIs N. RIDIiXOUR, Editor-in-Chief

GEORGE B. COLLIXS, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

BBITTO~ CHANCE, S. A. GOUDSMIT, R. G. HERB, HUBERT M. J.WIES, JULIAN K. KNIPP,

J.4MIis L. LAWSON, LIMJNB. LINFORD, C.lROL G. MONTGOMERY, C. NEWTON, ALBERT
M. STONE, LouIs A. TURNER, GEORGE E. V.\ LLI;Y, JR., HERBERT H. WHEATOS

1. RAILiR SYSTEM E~cl~]sl;R1~o—Ridenour

2. RADAR AIDS TO N.ivl&imoN-HalZ

3. RADAR 13EACONS-l?Obe?tS

4. LoRAx—Pierce, McKenzie, and Woodward

5. PULSE GEN):RATORS—GkJSOe and Lebacqz
6. MICROWAVE MAGNETRONS—COZknS

7. KLYSTRONS AND MICROWAVE TR1om-Han~itton, Kntpp, and Kuper

8. PRINCIPLES OF MICROWAVE CIRcul’r—Mon@omerv, Dic!ie, and PurceU
9. MICROWAVE TR.iNSMISSION CIRculTs—Ragan

10. WAVEGUIDE HANDROOK-}fa7’CUV~~Z

11. TECHXIQUE OF h~lCROWAVE MEASURENIENTS—MOntgO??LerY

12. MICROWAVE ANTENN.i THEORY AND I) EsIGN-i3i2ver

13. PROPAGATION OF SHORT R.iDIOWAvEs—Kerr

14. MICROWAVE DUPLEXERS—i%LUll~n and Montgomery
15. CRYSTAL RECTIFIERS—TOrreY and Whatmer
16. MICROWAVE MIxERs—Pound

17. COMPONENTS HANDBOOK—~kZLLkbU?Vt

18. VACUUM TUBE AJIPLIFIERS—ValleY and Wallman

19. W.\VEFORXS—Chance, Hughes, MacNichol, Sayre, and Wtlliams

20. ELECTRONIC TIMIS ME.\ SURENfENTS—GhanCe, Hulsazer, MacNichol,

and Williams
21. ELECTRONIC iNSTRUMENTS—GreenWOOd, Hotdam, and MacRae
22. CATHODE RAY TUBE DISPLAYS—SOller, Starr, and Valley
23, MICROWAVE RECEIVERS—Van Voorhis
24. THRESHOLD SIQNALS—LaWSOn and Uhlenbeck
25. THEORY OF sERvo>lEcHAN1sM-JanLes, Nichols, and Phillips
26. RADAR SCANNERS AND EADOMES—Cad~, Karetitz, and Turner
27. COMPUTING MECHANISMS AND LINKAQES—SVObOdU

28, lNDEx—Henney
MICROWAVEMAGNETRONS

Edited by

GEORGE B. COLLINS
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

FIRST EDITIonr

NEW YORK. TORONTO LONDON

MCGRA TV-HILL BOOK CO JIPANY, INC.

1948
 MICROWAVE MAGNETRONS

COPI-RIGHT,, ]94S, BY THE

31 CGRAW-HILL BOOK C;OMPAYY, lYC.
PRINTED IX-THE U>’ITED STATES OF .UUERIC.*

.4[1 Tighl.s resewed. This book, or

parl.s thereof, mav not be ?f>j3TOd11Cd
in an?) .form u:ilhollt per771ission of
the p~[blzshers,

m
“wEd

THE MAPLE PREsS COMPAKY, YORK, PA

MICROW’A VE MAGNETRONS

EDITORIAL STAFF

GEORGE B. COLLINS
A. FINEMAN
JOYCE KINNEY

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

J. G. BUCK
A. M. CLOOSTON
G. B. COLLINS
J. R. FELDMEIER
M. A. HERLIN
N. M. KROLL
S. MILLMAN
F. F. RI-EKE
A. G. SMITH
w. ~. SMITE
L. R, WALKER
 Foreword

HE tremendous research and de~ ~lopment effort thfit went into the
T development of radar and related techniques during World lVar II
resulted not only in hlmdreds of radar sets for military (and some for
possible peacetime) use but also in a great body of information and new
techniques in the electronics and high-frequency fields. Because this
basic material may be of great value to science and engineering, it seemed
most important to publish it as soon as security permitted.
The Radiation Laboratory of MIT, which operated under the super-
vision of the Nationll Defense Research Committee, undertook the great
task of preparing these volumes. The work described herein, however, is
the collective result of work done at many laboratories, Army, Na\’y,
university, and industrial, both in this country and in England, Canada,
and other Dominions.
The Radiation Laboratory, once its proposals were approved an{!
finances provided by the Office of Scientific Research and Development,
chose Louis N. Ridenour as Editor-in-Chief to lead and direct the entire
project. An editorial staff was then selected of those best qualified for
this type of task. Finally the authors for the various volumes or chaptew
or sections were chosen from among those experts who \vere intimately
familiar with the various fields, and who were able and ]villing to writ,’
the summaries of them. This entire staff agreed to remain at work al
MIT far six mcmths or more after the work of the Radiation Laboratory
was complete. These volumes stand as a monument to ibis group.
These volumes serve as a memorial to the unnamed hundreds and
thousands of other scientists, engineers, and others who actually carried
on the research, development, and engineering work the results of which
are herein described. There were so many involved in this \vork and they
worked so closely together even though often in widely separated labora-
tories that it is impossible to name or even to know those who contributed
to a particular idea or development. Only certain ones who wrote repor::
or articles have even been mentioned. But to all those who contributed.
in any way to this great cooperative development enterprise, both in this
%count ry and in I?nglaml, these volumes are dedicated.
@
L. A. DUBRIDGE.
- Gi

$
v\\\
 Preface

HE pulsed 10-cm magnetron, perfected by the British in 1940, const i-

T tuted the starting point for the development of microwave radar.
From that time until the end of the war the magnetron proved to be one
of the most important components in radar systems. As a consequence
of this, the armed services, both in this country and in England, insti-
gated extensive programs of research and development to produce new
types and improve the characteristics of existing ones. The program
soon became a major one for the electronic industry. At the Radiation
Laboratory alone, over forty highly trained physicists and engineers spent
more than four years studying magnetron performance and producing
new designs. Comparable effort was expended by the many other
industrial and research laboratories. The result was over twenty dis-
tinct types of magnetrons, producing powers in the tens to thousands of
kilowatts at frequencies that were largely unexplored before 1940. What
is more important, this program led to a better understanding of the
principles of magnetron operation and to an increased appreciation of
the importance of the field of electronics at high frequencies.
During the war very little attention could be given to evaluating,
correlating, and recording these new developments, and what reports
were \vritten are disconnected and incomplete. Actually, much of the
information existed only in the minds of the investigators and in their
personal notebooks. ‘l’he purpose of this book is to present in a usable
form this large amount of theoretical and practical knowledge.
Conditions surrounding the preparation of the volume produced
special problems. The time available was short, considering the amount
and complexity of the material, and a division of labor among many
authors was necessary. ‘l’his permitted the selection of authors best
qualified to present different subjects but resulted in a not too consistent
style and level of presentation. Furthermore, it was appreciated that
although microwave magnetrons were developed for use in radar systems,
their importance to science and engineering was much broader; thus the
material for the book was evaluutmf largely in terms of its possible future
usefulness, and the uncertainty of this resulted in a tendency to include
ix
x PREFACE

too much rather than too little. More serious aretheerrors that may
not have been eliminated because of insufficient time for adequate review.
The book contains a large fraction of what was known, as of January
1946, about the theory, design, and operation of magnetrons in the
frequency range 1000 to 25,000 Me/see and the many modifications that
extend the usefulness of these tubes. There is in this book, because of
its radar background, a strong emphasis on magnetrons intended for
pulsed operation, but the treatment is extended to c-w applications
whenever possible.
The scope is dictated by the primary premise that all information
necessary to” make a magnetron” be included. As a result, the character
of the chapters ranges from a detailed theory of the various aspects of
magnetron operation to the details of construction of production magne-
trons. An introductory chapter reviews the early work on magnetrons,
including the first 10-cm tube of the British, and presents the basic
principles of magnetron operation in order to orient the reader unfamiliar
with the subject.
Except for this introduction, the material is arranged so that theory
precedes practical considerations. A final chapter gives operating data
and important dimensions for a variety of magnetrons.
Although the authors of this volume were nearly all members of the
hI IT Radiation Laboratory or Columbia Radiation Laboratory, a great
deal of the material included originated in the industrial concerns of this
country and England. References to contributions by other laboratories
is given whenever possible, but the free exchange of information existing
during the war makes the origins of many of the ideas uncertain. In
particular, the contributions of the Boll Telephone Laboratories and the
Raytheon Manufacturing Company have been extensive and in many
cases undistinguishable from those of the MIT and Columbia groups.
The important contributions of these and the many other institutions are
acknowledged.
The early work of the British deserves special recognition. All too
few references to it are found in this volume, because soon after the
original design was divulged to laboratories in this country, the develop-
ment here proceeded along rather independent lines. The British magne-
tron, however, was the key to the production of high-power microwaves.
A discussion of this tube and its important features is found in Chap. 1,
based on material kindly furnished by Professor J. T. Randall and
Dr. H. A. H. Boot who, more than any others, were responsible for its
invention.
Acknowledgments are due to the many who reviewed chapters of the
book. In particular, mention should be made of Dr. Lewi Tonks of the
General Electric Company, Drs. W. B. Hebenstriet and H. D. Hagstrum
 PREFACE xi

of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, Drs. A. Nordsieck and A. V. Hollen-

berg of Columbia University, Dr. Lloyd P. Smith of Cornell University,
and .Miss Helen Wieman for her assistance in preparing the manuscript
for publication.
In conclusion, the editor wishes to emphasize that a book of this
magnitude could not have been \vritten without the wholehearted
cooperation of all the authors, many of whom worked on the manuscript
long after leaving the Radiation Laboratory.
GEORGE 13. COIjLINS.
(?AMBRII)GE, hfASS.,
July, 1946.
 Contents

]K)Rk;~OR~ BY ],. A. ]) U13RIIWE. vii

1’ltl;FA(;l,;........,. . . ..ix

CHAIJ. 1. lN~lWDU(~’~IOIi 1
1.1, Fkly Types of hfagnctrons.
1.2. The British (’avity Magnetro]l
1.3. Description of a Nlicrrrwavc Nlagllt,troll
14. The lkwonant Systcrn
1.5. The Cathorl r......
1,6. The Space (;hargr.
1,7. D-c Vrrltagc hfagnctic-firld Itdationship
1.8. Component }Iodcs.
1+). Efhcicncy and Frrqut,ncy Stability.
1.10. Performarrcc (;htirts and Rieke Diagrau)s
1.11. Pulsed hfagnetrons

PART I. RESONANT SYSTEMS

CHAP. 2. THE UNSTRAPPED RESONANT SYSTEM 49

2.1. The hfagnetron Cavity as a Circuit Problem 49
2.2. Equivalent Network for the Side Resonators 52
2.3. Equivalent Network for the Interaction Space. 52
2.4. Spectrum Predicted by tbe Equivalent Network. 54
2.5. Admittance of Side Resonators by Field Theory. 56
2.6. Admittance of the Interaction Space by Field Theory 63
2.7. The Spectrum Predicted by Field Theory, 66
2.8. End-space Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2.9. The Interaction Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
2.10. Applications and Limitations . . . 76
2.11. The Computation of Admittances 77

CHAP. 3. THE RISING-SUN SYSTEM. 83

3.1. The Spectrum . . . . . . . . 83
3.2. The Interaction Field. 92
3.3. The Effect of the Mode Spectrum and Field Characteristics on
~-mode Operation . . . . . . . . . 98
3.4. The Effects of Various Parameters on the Mode Spectrum and the
Interaction Field of a Ricing-sun Magnetron ! 101
,,.
Xlll
xiv CON TEN TS

3,5. Closed-end Rising-sun S@cms . . . . . . . . . 110

36. The Unloaded Qand #C/~. . . . . . . . . . . . .113

CHAP. 4. THE STRAPPED SYSTEhf . . . . . . . . . . 118

4.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 118

4.2. Analysis of Strapped Systems . . . . . . . . . . 121
43. Rings ofiXetworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

SYMM~TRICAL SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 131

4.4. Fixed-frequency Systems . 131

45. Effects of Various Parameters OILt!lv 3!w1c, Spcctrulll 135

AsYL1llRrRICAL SYSTTSMS . 140

46. Pattern Distortion and hIodc-s[wctru],i

l’f[(xts (’auscd by I,oadirlg 141
4.7. f3ffccts of Strap Breaks. 147
4.8. Effects Caused by Various Types of Tuning. 157

CHAP. 5. OUTPUT CIIiCUITS, . . . . . . . . . . . .. 167

51. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,. 167

52. The 4-terminal Transducer 171
5.3. The Q-circle alld the Riclw Diagram 178
5.4. General (~onsidcrations Concerning the Output (’ircuit l’mblcm 187
5.5. Coaxial-output Circuits 191
5.6. Waveguide-output Circuits . 194

PART II. ANTAI,YSIS OF 01’ERATION

CHAP. 6. THE INTERACTION’ ON THE ELE(’TROX”S AN-D THE ELEC-
TROMAGNETIC FIELD. . 207

6.1, Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ,. 207

62, The Assumptions Underlying the Analysis . 209
6.3. The Field Equations. . . . . . . . . . . ,., ..217
64. The Equations of Lfotion. . . 222
65. Conditions Under Which Relativistic IMects Lfay Pm Eliminatc,d 228
6.6. The Nonrelativistic Equations. “. 231
67, SymmetricalStates. .243
6.8. The Bunemann Small-amplitude ThcOry 253
64). Analysis by the Lfethod of SeH-consistent Fields. 265
6.10. Qualitative Discussion of the Interaction 274
611. Departures from the Rotating-wave Hypothesis, 282

CHAP. 7. TI-IE SPACl; CIIARGE .4S A CIR(’tJIT EI,K31ENT 288

7.1. I1ltro{l~lc,tion .,...,, . . . . .. 288

72. The Electi-on Strealn as a [’ircuit Elemrnt . 2!)1
7.3. Analysis of t,hc Resonant System , 297
7.4. Interactions Between Space Charge and Resonator, 305
7.5. The Description of hlagnetron Performance. 316
7.6. The hfismatched Transmission Line as a Resonant Load 320
77. Experimental Data on the Space-charge Properties. 329
 CONTENTS xv

CHAP. 8. TRAIW31~~T JlE1L4V10R . . . . . . 339

81. Steady-state Properties of the Modes. . . . . . . . 33!)

82. Steady-state Properties of the Pulser, . . . . 343
83. Typcsof hlode Changes. . . 345
84. Survey of the Process of hfode S.election . . . . 348
85. TheAfodeSkip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
841. ThehIode Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
8,7. Instability of the Power Supply: “ Mode Jumps” . 355
88. Outline of a Theory of Starting 357
89 Observations and Discussion of Starting 367
810, Ohscr\ations on R-f Buildup . . . 372
811 Effect of Design and Operation on Sturting . . . 37(;
8.12. ]ntcractions Between Jlodm . , . . . . 380

c[l\P.!
l.NoIsi3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...388

91. Introduction. ,.. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...388

9.2. Pre-oscillation Noise . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . 38!)
93. Signal-to-noise Ratin. . . . . . . . , . . . . . . 394
9.40rigins OfNoisc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3!)5

PART III. DESIGN

c}!.,p, 10. PRINCIPLES OF Dl?SICX , . . . . 401
10,1. The Primary Design Parameters. . . . . 40]
10,2, The 31ethod of Nlagnetrorr Design, 403
10,3. Conditions Imposed on the Itesonant System 406
104. Conditions Imposed on the Cathode 411
105. Conditions Imposed on the hlagnetic (’ircllit . 414
106. TbeScalingLaws. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 414
10.7. Reduced Operating Data on Various Types of \l~gm.trous 41{)
108, Determination of the secondary Design Parameters 435
10.9.comparison of tbe Reduced Performance ( ‘harts. 441
1010. The Universal Performance (’hart . 448
10,11, The General Design Formulas. . 454
1012, Numerical Example. . 4.58

~H.\P. 11. THE RESOX.4NT SYSTEX1. . . . . 460

11.1. Factors Influencing (%oict= of Rwwmant Systpm . . . . 4(XI

,STRAPPED RESONANT .SYSTEMS . . . . . 461

11.2. Wavelength and Chmocteristic Admitt:mcr. , . . . . 461

11.3. Unloaded Q........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...466
11.4. hlode Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...468

RISINC+UN RESONANT SYSTEMS . . . . . . . 470

11.5. Limitations on Secondary Design Parameters . 472

11.6. Desirable 3[ode Spectrum 474
117. Comparison Between @sn-reeanator and Closed-end Systems. 477
11.8. Ratio of Resonator Depths 478
11.9. Wavelength Calculations for the ~-mode 47!4
xvi CONTENTS

OUTPUT, . ., .,.,,..,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

11.10. General Properties of Coaxial and Waveguide Gutputs. 481

11.11 .~axial output s..,.,, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
11.12. Ckaxial-to-waveguide Transitions 485
11.13 .Waveguide Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...486
11.14. Waveguide Transformers 491
11.15. Examples of Waveguide Output. . . . 497
11.16. End-space Geometry. . . . . 498

CHAP. 12. THE CATHODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...503

EMISSION PHENOMENA or MAGNETRON CATHonEs . 503

12.1. Characteristics of Cathodes under Pulsed Conditions. 503

12.2. Alkaline-earth Oxide Cathodes—Test Methods 505
12.3. Alkaline-earth Oxide Cathodes—I,ife Tests and Sparking Phe-
nomena . . . . . . . . . . ,,, ..,..508
12.4. Thorium Oxide Cathodes. . . . 515
12.5. Secondary Electron-emission Properties of Magnetron Cathodes 517

HEAT BAHNCEIN THE CATHODE. . . . . . . . . . ,. 519

12.6. Thermal Behavior of a Pulsed Cathode. 520
12.7. Measurements of Back-bombardment Power 525
12.8. Thermal Considerations in Cathode Design 528

ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AXIAL BOUNnARY TO THE SP.ACE CHARGE 537

12.9. Cathode End Shields., ,537

CHAP. 13. THE MAGNETIC CIRCUIT 54o

13.1. Design of Permanent Magnets. 540
13.2. Magnet Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548
13.3. Magnetic Stabilization . . . MO
13.4. Field Uniformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .,552
13.5. Testing and Measurements . 553

PART IV. TUNING AND STABII,IZATION

CHAP. 14. MECHANICAL TUNING. . 561

14.1. General Considerations. 561

INDUCTNE AND CAPACITNE TUNING . 564

14.2. Symmetric Inductive Tuning: Sprocket Tuning 565
14.3. Symmetric Capacitive Tuning: The Cookie Cutter. . 57o
14.4. . Other Symmetric Inductive and Capacitive Methods of Tuning 572
14.5. Unsymmetric Inductive Tuning 575

COUPLEn-CIRCUIT TUNING. . , .’ 576

14.6. General Theory...,.. ., ..,,....,.....576

14.7. Double-output Tuning . . 576
14.8. Symmetric Double-output Tuning. . 582
14.9. Cavity Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...583
14.10. Single-stub Tuning. . . 589
 fY3h’TE.VT,~ xvii

CHAP. 15. IH,JIXTRONIC TUNING . . 592

ELECTRON-BEAM TUNING . . . . . 592

15.1. General Considerations. 592

15.2. Fundamental Equations of Beam Tuning. 594
153. The Principles of Electron-beam Tuning in a Magnetic Field 599
15,4. The Engineering Equations of IOectron-beam Tuning 604
15.5. Scaling . . . . . . . . . ...610
15.6. Internal vs. External Cavity Tuning. . . 611

NIAGNETHON DIODE TUNING. 615

15.7. Fundamental Principles 615

15.8. Small-signal Theory : 616
15.9. Experimental Data on I,arge-sigrral Conditions .,, 619
15.10 . Other Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...621

CHAP. 16. STAB~LIZATION OF FREQIJENCI-. 622

16.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...622
16.2. The Ideal Stabilizer . . . .. 624
16.3. Coupling hlethods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...626
16.4. hleans of Damping the Extraneous hfodes 633
16.5. The Design of Stabilizing Circuits 639

PART V. PRACTICE

(% AP.17, CONSTRUCTION . . . .649

17,1. Fabrication of Arrode Blocks 649
17.2. Brazing and Soldering 662
17.3. Selected Brazirrg Problems 670
17.4. Chemical Processes 674
17.5. Mrtal-t&glaaa 8eals. .676
17.6. Cathode and Heater Construction 685
17.7. Tube Evacuation and Processing 693
17.8. Examination of Metals. 694

CHAP. 18. hIE.4SUREillENTS. . 698

N[EASUREMENTS OF THE RESONANT

SYTSEM 698
18.1. Test Equipment Components 698
18.2. Cavity-wavelength Measurements 702
18.3. Measurement of Standing }Yaves 705
18-4. Field-pattern Measurements 710
18.5. hlessurementof Q. . . 713
18.6. The Stabilization Factor 723
18.7. hiagnetrcm-mode Identification . 726
18.8. Cathode-lead Load..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ...728
18.9. Tube-model Techniques. .729

OPERATING hfEASUREMENTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 730

18.10. hfeawring Techniques 732
18.11 . Operating Technique.. .735
 ...
x Jill (’O.YTI?.VT,?

rH.\P. 19. TYPIC.kL LIAGNETROXS . . 739

19.1. The LCW Lband Cw hIagnetron. 74o

19.2. The C1116B S-band C-w Magnetron. -. 744
19.3. 2J3&2J39 Low-voltage S-band llagnetrons 747
19.4, TYPe 2J22-2J34 lo-cm Pulsed ~Iagnetrons . 751
195. 4J70-4J77 High-power S-band Tunable I[ag]lrtrons 756
19.6. The HP1OV High-power S-band hIagnetron. 760
19.7. The B\150 Very Low Power .X-band llagnetron. 764
19.8. 2J41 Low-po\ver Stabilized X-band lIngnetrou 766
19.9, The 2J42 Imw-voltage X-band Jlagnetron 770
19.1O. The 725A ilIagnetron 774
1{).11. The 2J51 Xlagnetron, . 778
1!).12. 4J50 (4J52, 4578) High-po\vcr 3-cm XIagnctron 780
19.13. The AX9 Rising-sun JIagnctron. 784
1914, The 3J31 and 3J21 Rising-sun lIagnctrons 786
19.15. 22-cavity Rising-sun IIagnetron . 7!)0
1916. The Closed-end 38-ca\,ity Rising-sun Xlagnrtron. 791
]{).17. The XCR High-po\vcr 2.Gcm (’-;v X1:ignetron, 795

TNr)Ex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...797