In a recent column, Microwaves&RF editor, Chris DeMartino asks, “Will Today’s Microwave Oven Soon be a Thing of the Past?” The thrust of this article is that it may not be long before solid state devices replace the venerable magnetron in microwave ovens.
He writes,
…solid-state RF energy does offer several clear benefits that cannot be ignored. For one, it allows food to be cooked more precisely in comparison with the traditional magnetron ovens. Much healthier food can be cooked, too—surely an important aspect these days.
Hmmmm. That last claim sounded a bit suspicious to me, so I emailed DeMartino:
OK. I’ll bite (pun intended). How is food microwaved with a solid-state source healthier than food nuked by a magnetron?
He replied:
Thanks for your email. I probably should have quoted some sources when I wrote that. But to your answer your question, those involved with solid-state RF energy are saying that the technology enables more precise temperature control. This allows food to be cooked healthier and retain more nutrients than traditional microwaves. This article can provide more information.
The article was, of course, written by proponents of solid-state microwave devices, but it does make a few good points. Solid-state microwave ovens will, theoretically give one more control over the microwave radiation. This would result “less over-cooking or hotspots that destroy nutrients and amino acid chains.”
While I’m not so sure that this is a big deal, one thought did occur to me. Solid-state microwave circuitry is probably more hackable than the current magnetron-based circuitry. Perhaps the conversion to solid-state microwave ovens could fuel a burgeoning interest in amateur radio microwave technology. WATSA, OMs?
Dave New, N8SBE says
The fallout from this advancement is already being seen in the crop of new solid-state kW-class amplifiers, that use only one or two of the new devices to produce those power levels.
I saw a demonstration of a solid-state microwave oven a couple of years ago at the Freescale Technology Forum. They were showing a single transistor putting out 1500W at 2.4 GHz continously, running off of a 50V DC supply.
I remarked at the time that it would make a really good start for an amateur linear amplifier, and the hams in the booth just smiled, and wanted to know if I wanted a sample or two, if I was planning to build my own. I told them I didn’t have the time to try anything like that at the moment, so I took a pass.
Fast forward a year or two, and we now have two announced amateur amplifiers using the new high-power LDMOS parts.
One of them is the Elecraft KPA1500 1500W amplifier. The other is from Flex Radio, their PowerGenius XL, 1500W amplifier.
Both of them use a pair NXP MRF1K50H LDMOS transistors to loaf along at continuous 1500W CW/RTTY/SSB PEP output.
NXP bought out Freescale (nee Motorola Semiconductor) last year. By the end of this year, Qualcomm will have completed a purchase of the newly-combined NXP/Freescale powerhouse, producing a virtual lock-in in the mobile chipset market.