High-power microwave systems
Megawatt CW microwave load.
A broadband millimeter-wave load for gyrotrons, fusion research, electron cyclotron heating transmission systems, and plasma-heating applications.
System architecture
Built for continuous high power.
The Dymenso load provides a controlled termination for high-power gyrotron and ECH transmission systems. A passive, water-cooled design distributes and gradually absorbs the microwave beam without moving mirrors or other moving internal parts. The broader product platform includes a horizontal four-meter configuration for continuous high-power operation.
HE11 waveguide interface, vacuum port, arc detection, and a 45° beam-shaping mirror.
CuCrZr absorbing cylinder, coaxial cooling passage, stainless steel sleeve, and a central dual-bellows expansion joint.
A fixed end mirror returns the beam for additional passes and low reflected power.
Fusion application
A load for gyrotron-driven plasma heating.
High-power microwave loads support commissioning, operation, and testing of the ECH transmission systems used in fusion research.
ITER ECH program
Absorbing gyrotron power during conditioning.
ITER’s electron cyclotron heating system uses 170 GHz gyrotrons to heat and drive current in the plasma. Each installed gyrotron connects through a switch to a dedicated water-cooled RF load for daily conditioning.
- 01Up to 80 RF loads in the ITER EC system
- 02Dedicated load for each installed gyrotron
- 03Low-reflection, under-vacuum operation
IVEC 2025 validation
Designed, fabricated, and tested for ITER.
The ITER prototype described at IVEC 2025 was engineered for a 0.96 MW input at 170 ± 0.3 GHz for 10-second pulses. High-power tests at the Swiss Plasma Center confirmed stable thermal and vacuum behavior within the pulse and low reflected RF power.
Multiple-pass absorption
A 45° input mirror directs and refocuses the incoming Gaussian beam into the main body. A titanium-dioxide coating extracts energy along the bore, while the fixed end reflector sends remaining power through additional bounces to reduce reflection.
- 50 mm corrugated-waveguide aperture
- TiO₂ microwave-absorbing bore coating
- Passive architecture with no moving internal parts
Thermal and quality margins
Thermal, CFD, and structural analyses covered normal and off-normal loading, vacuum pressure, gravity, thermal effects, and seismic excitation. Fabrication followed ITER vacuum-component requirements.
Technical values summarized from Dymenso’s IVEC 2025 paper, “Design, Fabrication and Test of an ITER ECH RF Load.”
Thermal verification
Performance made visible.
Long-pulse RF operation was evaluated with infrared imaging at QST in Naka, Japan. The thermal record provides direct evidence of heat distribution along the operating load.
Review the microwave load specification.
Download the product sheet or contact Dymenso to discuss frequency, power, interfaces, and facility requirements.