Background Pulsed power devices are extensively used in biomedicine, industrial manufacturing and high-current accelerators. Traditional gas switches are limited by large jitter and frequent maintenance. Common IGBTs and MOSFETs show low rated voltage and current when applied to nanosecond fast-rise pulse systems. Although the gate boosting driving technique can improve their power capacity, it requires dozens of devices, leading to complicated system structure and poor reliability. MOS Controlled Thyristor (MCT) possesses fast switching speed and strong surge current tolerance, requiring far fewer devices to reach the same power level, making it a promising candidate for nanosecond high-current pulse generators.
Purpose This work aims to develop a compact, high-stability solid-state high-voltage pulse generator adopting MCT switch array and Blumlein pulse forming network, to obtain nanosecond high-current pulses.
Methods Two circuit boards with opposite output polarities were stacked in series to boost output voltage. All functional circuits were integrated on a single planar PCB. Theoretical calculation and electromagnetic simulation were adopted to optimize circuit parameters, switch topology and board spacing. Experiments were carried out to test the output performance under rated conditions, and a magnetic switch was used for pulse sharpening.
Results With an 8.3 Ω load and ±8 kV charging voltage, the module produces a pulsed current of 2.1 kA in amplitude, 27.8 ns in rise time and 64 ns in pulse width. It operates stably at 20 Hz repetition frequency with small waveform jitter. Utilizing magnetic switch technology, the pulse rise time is reduced to 14 ns.
Conclusions The proposed MCT-based pulse generator features a compact structure and superior output performance. MCT is proven to be an ideal device for fast-front high-current pulse sources. Future research will focus on waveform optimization and heat dissipation technology for high repetition rate operation.
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