Demonstration of a Scalable Magnetron Array Through Extracavity Coupling

Abstract

This letter presents the first demonstration of high-efficiency phase-locking among five magnetrons for large-scale array applications. The array is organized into two modules, with phase-locking achieved through external waveguide-based coupling. Validation experiments confirm that all five magnetrons operate at a locked frequency of 2.462 GHz. Time-domain signal sampling and analysis reveal that the phase difference between nonadjacent magnetrons across different modules remains stable over time, with inter-pulse phase fluctuations constrained within ±4°. The overall phase-locking efficiency reaches 87.8%. To ensure flexibility and scalability, the array adopts a ring-series coupled topology combined with a modular assembly strategy, making the design particularly suited for large-scale magnetron array applications.