Development of 1 MV steep-front rectangular-impulse voltage generator

The basic design and performance of a newly developed 1 MV steep-front rectangular-impulse voltage generator, named "SPARK", are described. Advanced pulsed-power technology and elaborate circuit design enable an ideal rectangular waveform, in which the rise time of the wavefront is shorter than 20 ns and a long flat-topped voltage crest continues up to 10 /spl mu/s, to be generated. By applying this waveform as a test voltage to a model GIS (gas-insulated switchgear) gap, quantitative evaluation of the voltage-time characteristics can be achieved.