Microwave Technology

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Microwave detection and communications systems have come to play a major role in our technology today, but little appreciated, by most people.  Perhaps the application best known to the public is the microwave oven, but microwaves have also made possible live television from space and between continents. Microwave technology is also essential for safe all weather operation of commercial and military aircraft as well as for intercity telephone traffic. Before the 1970s the high cost of microwave systems tended to limit their use for mass-produced consumer products.  This situation changed with the introduction of comparatively inexpensive solid-state microwave sources suitable for such applications as counter-top ovens, collision-avoidance devices for automobiles, burglar alarms, and mobile telephones.

MICROWAVES, electronics radiation which is located in the spectrum between ultra-high frequency (UHF) television and the far infrared and which thus includes 100 million and 300,000 million hertz(cycle per second).  This range of frequencies corresponds to wavelength between 30 centimeter one millimeter;  hence the name “microwaves”, indicating wavelength that are short in comparison to commercial broadcasting wavelength of several hundred meters.

Microwave Applications

Radar.  Microwaves remained primarily a scientific curiosity until the advent of World War II and the ensuing demand for such new electronic weapon as radar.  Intensive development was then begun on microwave radar, although its principles had been demonstrated as early as 1923 by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Communications. Microwaves are widely employed in communications.  In addition to various military radio systems, there are numerous commercial microwave links in many parts of the world.  Since microwave don’t follow the structure of the earth ut instead travel in a straight line, the links are generally consist of repeater station that are mounted of highland or towers at about 48km (38miles) intervals.

Communication satellite. The system of relay tower required for microwave transmission can only be built on land.  If microwave are to be used in overseas communication, would be requiring another source of relay.  With this purpose, satellite was designed that could be place in space with the so-called stationary orbit and would act as a relay tower.

Heating.  Microwaves have use in heating in home and industries.  The energy generated by a powerful tube can be concentrated in a small area for very efficient heating in so – called radar range, which are clean, quite, and compact. They can cook food without heating the surrounding area.  These heating unit are also used in airplane galleys and bending machine.

The rapid progress of microwave technology since the 40′s is largely due to the invention of special tubes, such as the magnetron and klystron that is capable of generating large amount of microwave energy.