All-solid-state high-repetition-rate magnetic pulse compression generator

The paper presents an all-solid-state high-repetition-rate pulse generator with adjustable output amplitude based on magnetic pulse compression (MPC) technique. The pulse compression network makes use of commercially available IGBTs switching a capacitor bank into a metglas transformer together with a voltage doubling circuit. The capacitor bank is charged to 500 V by a resonant LC charger, and also switched by a commercial diode. The output of the pulse generator is controlled by the gate voltage of the IGBTs. Pulses with a width of 70 ns can be generated with repetition rates up to 5 kHz. The amplitude can be controlled from 4 kV to 40 kV into a 500 load. Equivalent circuits for the final operation stage of the compressor accounting for pre-pulse in magnetic switches are presented and analyzed, and the pre-pulse generation process of the MPC system is discussed. Simulation results show that, increasing the unsaturated inductance of the magnetic switch and reducing the load resistance enhance the pre-pulse peak. Thus to diminish the pre-pulse, a better ferrite core with higher permeability should be considered.