Pulse Generator with Fast Switching Speed and Short Pulse Width based on Semiconductor Switches for Wide Applications

Solid state pulsed power modulator (SSPPM) with fast switching speed and short pulse width is proposed in this paper. In the proposed SSPPM, semiconductor switches which have relatively low voltage rating and fast switching characteristic than those of mechanical switches are used as their main switches for generating pulse output voltage. Furthermore, it can generate high voltage output pulse beyond the voltage rating of the semiconductor switch by stacking the semiconductor switches in series based on power cell structure. Moreover, a new gate driving circuit has been applied to generate high-speed short pulse, and it can supply isolated power and synchronized gate signal to the series stacked switches. Therefore, the proposed SSPPM can generate high-speed/high-voltage pulse output, and it is possible to control pulse width from very short pulse (tens of ns) to a few microseconds for wide applications. The feasibility of the proposed pulse generator is verified by simulation results with pulse rising/falling time under 30ns and minimum pulse width of 50ns and by experiment results of the resonant converter with 10kV, 1kW rated DC (Direct Current) operation.