Output circuit design for an intense beam klystron

Development work is underway on a high current, mildly relativistic, L-band klystron source. The intense beam used in this tube presents unique design complications for the output circuit. Various considerations are discussed such as the trade-offs between beam potential and kinetic energies, optimum shunt impedances, and advantages of discrete versus distributed circuits. Three output circuit designs are presented. A description of the experimental hardware is given along with power extraction results from two output circuits.