Quarterwave
Quarterwave Corp is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1987 that designs and sells high-power Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers, high-voltage power systems, and test equipment to defense, aerospace, and microwave test customers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersRohnert Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Quarterwave does
Quarterwave Corp is a privately held US manufacturer of high-power Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and supporting high-voltage power systems, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Rohnert Park, California. The company designs and builds a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) product line spanning power levels from 5 Watts continuous wave to 50 kilowatts peak pulsed and frequencies from 1 GHz to 95 GHz, organized into families such as the Series 9100 pulsed amplifiers, Series 2004/4000/4200 high-power pulsed units, and Series 9400/9800/9820 continuous-wave amplifiers. Its core technical differentiator is a set of patented power-conversion circuits, including quasi-resonant switch mode power supplies and fast fault detection circuits that limit TWT fault energy to less than one joule, paired with embedded microprocessor monitoring at TWT cathode potential and standard RS232 or Ethernet interfaces for remote operation.
The company's primary customer base is in aerospace and defense, including radar cross-section (RCS) test ranges, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) programs, threat platform simulators, electronic warfare, satellite uplink, and EMI/RFI test facilities — with NASA cited as a named end user on the TRMM airborne weather research program. Quarterwave sells via direct enterprise field sales with a knowledgeable sales staff responding to quote requests, pricing each configuration to customer specifications under multi-year contracts. The firm operates from a single US site with 11-50 employees, generates no publicly disclosed revenue, has no venture funding, no parent company, no disclosed M&A, and shows no evidence of AI/ML capability; its commercial footprint outside the United States is served through translated web content rather than a documented distribution or channel network.
Quarterwave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Quarterwave
- Legal name
- Quarterwave Corp
- Website
- https://quarterwave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Quarterwave Corp is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1987 that designs and sells high-power Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers, high-voltage power systems, and test equipment to defense, aerospace, and microwave test customers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Quarterwave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- RF and Microwave Amplifiers
- NAICS
- Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220)
- SIC
- Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment (3663)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) & RF Gain Blocks (HDAHAMAC)
Keywords
Where Quarterwave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rohnert Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Quarterwave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) Sales: Sale of COTS and custom TWTA products ranging from 5 Watts CW to 50 kW pulsed, covering frequencies from 1 GHz to 95 GHz. Products include pulsed and CW amplifiers across multiple power ranges and frequency bands.
- High Voltage Power Systems: Power conversion systems and power supplies for traveling wave tubes and microwave tube applications.
- Test Equipment for Microwave Tubes: Test equipment and OEM power supplies for operating and testing traveling wave tubes.
- Custom/OEM TWTA Modules: Custom-designed TWTA systems and OEM modules built to customer specifications with modular architecture.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for custom and standard configurations |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Quarterwave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Quarterwave manufactures a complete Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) line of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) covering power levels from 5 Watts CW to 50 kW peak pulsed and frequencies from 1 GHz to 95 GHz, plus custom and OEM TWTA modules, high voltage power systems, and test equipment for microwave tubes. Products are used as transmitters in synthetic aperture radars, radar cross-section test programs, threat platform simulators, satellite uplinks, and EMI/RFI test facilities.
Product overview
Quarterwave manufactures a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) line of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and related products. The product portfolio spans power levels from 5 Watts CW to 50 kW peak pulsed and frequencies from 1 GHz to 95 GHz. The core product families include: Series 9400 compact CW amplifiers (5W-120W) in low-profile chassis; Series 9800/9820 high-power CW amplifiers (200W-500W) for octave bandwidth applications; Series 9100/9108/9114 pulsed amplifiers (100W-40kW) for radar and defense applications; Series 2004 high-power pulsed amplifiers (10kW) for instrumentation radar; and Series 4000/4200 specialized high-power units (40kW). The company also offers individual Traveling Wave Tubes (TWTs), high voltage power systems with patented power conversion technology, and test equipment for microwave tubes. All new TWTAs contain embedded microprocessors with standard RS232 and optional Ethernet interfaces for remote monitoring and control.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Series 9100 Pulsed TWTA High power pulsed traveling wave tube amplifiers ranging from 100W to 40kW peak power with duty cycles up to 50% and frequency coverage from 0.8 GHz to 40 GHz. Designed for radar and defense applications.
- Series 2004 Pulsed TWTA High power pulsed microwave amplifier delivering 10-kilowatt peak power at 8% duty cycle for 8.0-12.0 GHz frequency band with exceptional low phase noise for instrumentation radar applications.
- Series 9108/9114 Pulsed Amplifiers Pulsed TWTA modules ranging from 1kW to 8kW peak power with various duty cycles covering frequency bands from 1 GHz to 36 GHz.
- Series 9400 CW TWTA (20-100W) Continuous wave traveling wave tube amplifiers delivering 20W to 100W power across frequency ranges from 2 GHz to 18 GHz in compact 3.5-inch to 5.25-inch chassis profiles.
- Series 9400 CW TWTA (5-20W) Compact CW traveling wave tube amplifiers providing 5W to 20W output power with octave bandwidths covering 1 GHz to 40 GHz in low-profile 3.5-inch chassis.
- Series 9800 CW TWTA (500W) High power CW traveling wave tube amplifiers delivering 500W output power with octave bandwidths covering 1-2 GHz, 2-4 GHz, 4-8 GHz, and 8-18 GHz frequency bands.
- Series 9820 CW TWTA (200W) Mid-power CW traveling wave tube amplifiers providing 200W output power across multiple frequency bands from 1 GHz to 40 GHz including wideband coverage options.
- Traveling Wave Tubes (TWT) Individual traveling wave tubes available separately or integrated to system requirements, with power levels ranging from 40W to 2kW and frequencies from 1 GHz to 18 GHz.
- High Voltage Power Systems Power conversion systems based on patented power conversion circuits and fast fault detection circuits that limit TWT fault energy to less than a joule, providing protective operating environments for traveling wave tubes.
- Test Equipment for Microwave Tubes Test equipment for operating and testing traveling wave tubes, including OEM power supplies and supporting hardware for TWT manufacturers and integrators.
- Series 4000/4200 High Power Amplifiers Special high power pulsed amplifiers delivering 40kW peak power at 0.2% duty cycle for 9.2-9.9 GHz frequency band.
- Redesigned TWTA Redesigned TWTA product line introduced in 2022 with touchscreen interface, improved controls, greater system monitoring and fault protection, modern durable chassis, and temperature-sensitive cooling. Customizable to project needs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fault energy limited to less than 1 joule during TWT faults
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Quarterwave
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Quarterwave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Quarterwave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Quarterwave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- dB Control: dB Control manufactures high-power TWTAs and microwave amplifiers for defense, EW, and radar applications, overlapping directly with Quarterwave's pulsed and CW amplifier product lines.
- Communications & Power Industries (CPI): CPI is a leading manufacturer of traveling wave tubes and high-power microwave amplifiers for radar, EW, and satellite communications — directly competing with Quarterwave across CW and pulsed TWTAs in the same power and frequency bands.
- Aethercomm: Aethercomm produces high-power RF and microwave amplifiers, including TWT-based and solid-state products, for defense and aerospace — competing for the same radar, EW, and satellite uplink customers as Quarterwave.
- Microwave Amplifiers: Microwave Amplifiers manufactures broadband low-noise and high-power amplifiers for test, EMC, and communications — an overlapping product portfolio with Quarterwave in CW and pulsed RF amplification.
- Tomco Technologies: Tomco designs and builds high-power RF amplifiers and pulsed power systems for defense, scientific, and industrial applications, with significant overlap to Quarterwave's pulsed TWTA and high-voltage power system offerings.
- Applied Systems Engineering (ASE): ASE designs and manufactures TWTAs and high-voltage power supplies for radar and electronic warfare, directly mirroring Quarterwave's core TWTA and power-conversion product stack.
Emerging players
- MACOM (Microsemi / Microchip RF): MACOM supplies GaN-on-SiC power amplifiers targeting radar, EW, and communications — a solid-state emerging competitor pushing into the high-power RF amplification space where Quarterwave operates.
- Qorvo: Qorvo is a major GaN-based RF amplifier supplier steadily encroaching on TWT-based applications in radar and EW, representing the solid-state competitive threat to Quarterwave's TWTA core market.
Broad incumbents
- Hensoldt: Hensoldt supplies radar, EW, and sensor systems with internal RF amplification capabilities, making it a broad incumbent that competes for the same defense programs Quarterwave serves.
- Thales (THALES / Thales Microwave): Thales is a broad incumbent in radar, EW, and microwave subsystems, including high-power amplification, and competes with Quarterwave as a tier-one supplier to defense primes globally.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Quarterwave social profiles
Digital presenceQuarterwave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Quarterwave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Quarterwave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Quarterwave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Quarterwave
What does Quarterwave do?
Quarterwave manufactures a complete Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) line of Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) covering power levels from 5 Watts CW to 50 kW peak pulsed and frequencies from 1 GHz to 95 GHz, plus custom and OEM TWTA modules, high voltage power systems, and test equipment for microwave tubes. Products are used as transmitters in synthetic aperture radars, radar cross-section test programs, threat platform simulators, satellite uplinks, and EMI/RFI test facilities.
Is Quarterwave a public or private company?
Quarterwave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Quarterwave founded?
Quarterwave was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Quarterwave based?
Quarterwave is headquartered in Rohnert Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Quarterwave make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) Sales are the primary driver. The others are high Voltage Power Systems, test Equipment for Microwave Tubes and custom/OEM TWTA Modules.
Who are Quarterwave's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are dB Control, Communications & Power Industries (CPI), Aethercomm, Microwave Amplifiers, Tomco Technologies and Applied Systems Engineering (ASE). Emerging players are MACOM (Microsemi / Microchip RF) and Qorvo. Broad incumbents are Hensoldt and Thales (THALES / Thales Microwave).
Does Quarterwave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Quarterwave.
What industry is Quarterwave in?
Quarterwave's product category is RF and Microwave Amplifiers. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHAMAC, Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) & RF Gain Blocks. Its NAICS code is 334220 and its SIC code is 3663.