Abstract: This paper describes the operation principle and characteristic of the drift step recovery diode (DSRD), a new type of semiconductor switching, and summarizes the development and application of pulsed power source based on semiconductor switching. Based on the equivalent model of DSRD switching, it builds the simulation model of the forward and reverse pumping current circuit. Based on the output voltage, it simulates and calculates the main energy storage inductance and primary energy storage inductance, gets the optimum parameters of other components. It analyzes the value of the parallel capacitor and the MOSFET parasitic capacitor output parameter, and gets the optimum values of parallel capacitor and blocking capacitor. A pulsed power source was designed based on the DSRD. The source can work in continuous mode, with the amplitude above 2 kV, the rise time less than 680 ps(from 20% to 90%), the FWHM about 1.5 ns and the working frequency more than 1 MHz.