Vacuum tube amplifiers can be used in military and civilian fields with the risk of being replaced

Vacuum tube amplifier is a type of radio frequency power amplifier (RFPA) that controls the flow of electrons in a vacuum environment to amplify electrical signals. Without changing the signal waveform, it can increase the power, current, voltage, etc. of the signal. The vacuum tube amplifier is mainly composed of a power supply, vacuum tube, input/output circuit, amplification circuit, etc.
 
According to the report "In depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions for the Vacuum Tube Amplifier Industry from 2023 to 2027" released by the New Frontier Industry Research Center, the working process of a vacuum tube amplifier is that the input signal is transmitted to the amplification circuit through the input circuit, and the signal is amplified using the principle of electronic flow characteristics of the vacuum tube, and then output through the output circuit. Vacuum tube amplifiers have the advantages of wide bandwidth, high frequency, high power, high working efficiency, and strong electromagnetic interference resistance, and can be used in high load scenarios.
 

Common vacuum tube amplifier products mainly include traveling wave tubes, klystrons, magnetrons, etc. Traveling wave tube has a wide frequency bandwidth, dynamic range, and high gain. The output power of the klystron is high and the frequency coverage range is wide. The working efficiency of the magnetron is high and the industrial voltage is low. Each type of vacuum tube amplifier has its own advantages and can be applied in different scenarios. In comparison, the traveling wave tube has the widest range of applications.
 
Vacuum tube amplifiers can be applied in fields such as communication, electrical, and electronics. In the field of communication, radar is an important downstream market for vacuum tube amplifiers. The microwave transmitter is the core component of radar, which functions as a microwave power amplifier. RF amplifier is one of the components of microwave transmitter RF system, and vacuum tube amplifier is a common RF amplifier used in microwave transmitters, which amplifies RF signals to achieve sufficient output power.
 
The vacuum tube amplifier was initially developed for use in the military field to meet electronic warfare requirements and was introduced during World War II. In the 1970s, under the pressure of new amplifiers, the development of vacuum tube amplifiers entered a period of decline. In the 2010s, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began to focus on millimeter wave and terahertz traveling wave tubes, and vacuum tube amplifiers entered a new round of development.
 


In addition to the military field, vacuum tube amplifiers can be used to manufacture audio appliances such as speakers in the civilian field. High end audio systems can use vacuum tube amplifiers as preamplifiers and post amplifiers. Due to the low distortion of vacuum tube amplifiers, they can restore instrument and singing details, thus achieving natural and full-bodied sound, satisfying auditory enjoyment, and are widely used in recording studios, concerts, cinemas, and other scenes.
 
However, vacuum tube amplifiers also have disadvantages such as large size, heavy weight, and high operating voltage, and there is a risk of being replaced by new amplifiers such as solid-state amplifiers in some application fields.