Modified reference SPS with solid state transmitting antenna

Abstract

The motivations for considering solid state microwave power amplifiers for the solar power satellite transmitting antenna are the possibilities of greatly increased system reliability due to elimination of electron tube cathodes, a lower mass per unit power and transmitting array area due to the high power densities obtainable in semiconductors, and, probably, cost savings due to development of small hardware items that can be handled by individuals instead of organizations. In order to provide a fair assessment where we stand today with regard to solid state SPS technology, the design described here is close to that of the NASA/DOE reference and is implemented using today's solid state technology with only a small "push". The small push is raising the efficiency of DC-RF conversion from the .68 obtained by RCA in 1975 to somewhat over .8 of the solid state SPS. This is generally considered feasible by semiconductor industry representatives. Other solid state SPS configurations can yield somewhat better performance. However, these generally do not provide as fair a vehicle for comparison with the reference and usually also incorporate somewhat more advanced technologies.