Solid-state pulsed power systems

High energy physics, particle accelerators, and commercial semiconductor and metal treatment processes require reliable, high power, variable pulsewidth, flat top, high voltage pulses at high power. New processes for food sterilization, waste treatment, pollution control, and medical diagnostics and treatment are also being developed which also require high power, high voltage pulsed power. The technology needed to enable solid state high voltage, high power systems is now available. It has been demonstrated that solid state electronics can bring strong benefits to high voltage, high power systems design including: (a) efficiency>90%; (b) low component cost; (c) very high average and pulse power densities (>10 MW/m/sup 3/ peak power); (d) multimegawatt-level average power; (e) voltage levels from 1-150 kV; (f) average current levels from 10 A to 1200 A; (g) pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) of 30 kHz and above (up to 400 kHz demonstrated); (h) rise and fall times as low as 250 ns; (i) variable pulse lengths (1 /spl mu/S to DC); and (j) high reliability.