Compact high voltage subnanosecond pulsed power delivery system for biological applications

Intracellular electro-manipulation experiments require subnanosecond high voltage pulses delivered to low impedance biological loads. We present here the design and construction of an experimental setup to deliver such subnanosecond high voltage pulses to biological cell solutions. This low-parasitic electronic setup interfaces our avalanche transistor-switched pulse generation system with the imaging and monitoring apparatuses used for bio-photonic studies of pulse-induced intracellular effects. The setup features a custom fabricated microscope slide to hold the cell solution under study, and a printed circuit board designed to carry the output pulse from the pulse generator to micro-machined electrodes on the glass slide. The pc-board and the slide are designed to match the load impedance of the pulse generator. This minimizes reflections back into the pulse generator, and minimizes distortion of pulse shape and pulse parameters. Further, the pc-board contains a custom-made high bandwidth voltage divider to allow for real-time monitoring of pulses delivered to the cell solution.