Background Traditional pulsed-power systems heavily rely on gas switches, which suffer from electrode erosion, large timing jitter and limited repetition-rate capability, restricting long-term stable operation. Although commercial IGBT and MOSFET devices are widely adopted in medium-voltage solid-state pulsers, massive series-parallel stacks bring challenges in driving, voltage/current balancing and system reliability. The MOS-controlled thyristor (MCT) combines merits of MOS-type gate control and thyristor-level high-current capacity, making it a promising candidate for compact high-power pulse generation.
Purpose Aiming at the demands for high-voltage, large-current solid-state pulsed-power equipment, this work develops a compact high-power all-solid-state pulse module based on MCT arrays and Blumlein pulse-forming network (BPFN), and quantitatively compares two unit-parallel schemes to optimize pulse rise-time performance.
Methods Planar integration technology is adopted to integrate BPFN, MCT switch arrays and driving circuits onto PCBs. Two parallel configurations including output-port direct-parallel mode and shared-switch-array mode are analyzed by circuit theoretical derivation and Q3D parasitic-inductance simulation. Prototypes of single pulse-generation unit and dual-unit parallel module are manufactured and experimentally tested under high-voltage charging conditions.
Results Charged at ±8.4 kV, a single pulse-generation unit outputs a 2.02 kA current pulse with 26 ns rise-time and 80 ns pulse width into an 8 Ω load. The dual-unit parallel module delivers a quasi-square pulse of 4.25 kA amplitude, 30 ns rise-time and 81 ns pulse width across a 3.84 Ω load at 100 Hz repetition rate, with output power exceeding 65 MW and energy transfer efficiency of 82 %. The module achieves compact layout with a power-to-weight ratio around 63 MW/kg.
Conclusions The output-port parallel scheme shows advantages in restraining parasitic inductance and preserving fast pulse front edge. This module provides technical support for developing compact, high-repetition-rate LTD-type all-solid-state pulsed-power sources; future work will focus on rise-time sharpening, thermal management and further reduction of switch parasitic parameters.
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