Design and experiment of 450 kV low jitter Marx generator

This paper describes a circuit of Marx generator, and compares it with the conventional layout by simulation and experiment. The result indicates that the designed circuit can maintain the voltage between the latter stage switches during the discharging phase of Marx generator, which makes sure the latter stage switches can breakdown reliably and further leads to a small time jitter. A Marx generator used in the linear induction accelerator has been designed and constructed based on this circuit. Its maximal energy storage is 16.87 kJ, and the maximal output voltage is 450 kV. By using low jitter spark gap switches and charged with positive and negative polarities, the Marx generator can operate with subnanosecond jitter.