Solid-State Nanopulse Generator: Application in Ultra-wideband Bioeffects Research

This paper describes the design and characterization of an ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse (“nanopulse”) generator suitable for biomedical research. The pulser generates nanosecond-long pulses of adjustable rise time, amplitude, and duration, permitting analysis of possible bioeffects over a range of pulse characteristics. Nanopulses of 3.4 kV and 2.4 ns rise time are achieved in a 4-stage pulser circuit using ZTX415 transistors. This device has been used to assess exposure bioeffects to nanopulses of the model system E. coli.