Traveling-wave tube amplifiers for high-frequency signals, including terahertz signals, and methods for making a slow-wave structure for the traveling-wave tube amplifiers are provided. The slow-wave structures include helical conductors that are self-assembled via the release and relaxation of strained films from a sacrificial growth substrate.

A control circuit (16) is configured to detect the impedance P1 of a load (3) and control each of the reactance value L1 of a first variable reactance element (12), the reactance value L2 of a second variable reactance element (14), and the phase shift amount φ of a phase shifter (15) on the basis of the detected impedance P1. Consequently, impedance matching can be achieved even with the phase shifter (15) that performs discrete phase shift control.

A control circuit (16) is configured to detect the impedance P1 of a load (3) and control each of the reactance value L1 of a first variable reactance element (12), the reactance value L2 of a second variable reactance element (14), and the phase shift amount φ of a phase shifter (15) on the basis of the detected impedance P1. Consequently, impedance matching can be achieved even with the phase shifter (15) that performs discrete phase shift control.

A high-frequency module can be used in communication satellites. The high-frequency module contains an electronic unit and a housing. The housing at least partially encloses the electronic unit, and the electronic unit is arranged at least partially in an interior space of the housing. An internal connector is arranged on the housing, which is coupled to the electronic unit such that electrical signals can be transmitted between the electronic unit and the internal connector. The internal connector is constructed integrally with at least a part of the housing. This allows a thermo-mechanical stress on the electronic unit to be reduced.

A high-frequency module can be used in communication satellites. The high-frequency module contains an electronic unit and a housing. The housing at least partially encloses the electronic unit, and the electronic unit is arranged at least partially in an interior space of the housing. An internal connector is arranged on the housing, which is coupled to the electronic unit such that electrical signals can be transmitted between the electronic unit and the internal connector. The internal connector is constructed integrally with at least a part of the housing. This allows a thermo-mechanical stress on the electronic unit to be reduced.

Traveling-wave tube amplifiers for high-frequency signals, including terahertz signals, and methods for making a slow-wave structure for the traveling-wave tube amplifiers are provided. The slow-wave structures include helical conductors that are self-assembled via the release and relaxation of strained films from a sacrificial growth substrate.

Traveling-wave tube amplifiers for high-frequency signals, including terahertz signals, and methods for making a slow-wave structure for the traveling-wave tube amplifiers are provided. The slow-wave structures include helical conductors that are self-assembled via the release and relaxation of strained films from a sacrificial growth substrate.

In one aspect, a power amplifier apparatus comprising a power amplifier (PA) and an adaptive controller is provided. The PA comprises at least one transistor and the adaptive controller is configured to control a bias voltage of the transistor based on a measured power efficiency of the PA and a measure output signal quality of the PA. In another aspect, a method of optimizing PA performance is provided. The PA comprises at least one transistor and the method includes initializing a bias voltage of the transistor, receiving measurements indicating a power efficiency and an output signal quality of the PA, evaluating the received measurements, calculating a new bias voltage for the transistor based on the evaluation, and applying the calculated new bias voltage to the transistor.

In one aspect, a power amplifier apparatus comprising a power amplifier (PA) and an adaptive controller is provided. The PA comprises at least one transistor and the adaptive controller is configured to control a bias voltage of the transistor based on a measured power efficiency of the PA and a measure output signal quality of the PA. In another aspect, a method of optimizing PA performance is provided. The PA comprises at least one transistor and the method includes initializing a bias voltage of the transistor, receiving measurements indicating a power efficiency and an output signal quality of the PA, evaluating the received measurements, calculating a new bias voltage for the transistor based on the evaluation, and applying the calculated new bias voltage to the transistor.

Disclosed is a method for producing a stage for amplifying the power of a variable envelope signal including at least one amplifier. For each amplifier, a form of ideal variation in average power POUT.sub.L is selected. For each value of each setting parameter and for each average input power value, a value of an optimisation criterion is calculated on the basis of the mathematical expectation of at least one optimisation parameter. An optimum value of each setting parameter is determined and the amplification stage is produced with a number of amplifiers in parallel determined on the basis of an average output power value and with, for each amplifier, matching circuits providing the optimum values of the setting parameters. The invention also relates to an amplification stage produced in this manner.