A repetitive frequency square wave generator based on Blumlein pulse forming network and pseudospark switch.

Abstract

The Blumlein pulse forming network (PFN) has widely beenused in pulsed power technology to generate square waves with short pulse widths. In this paper, we developed a repetitive frequency square wave generator based on Blumlein PFN and pseudospark switch (PSS). A Blumlein PFN with unequal capacitances has been proposed, and the PFN parameters have been optimized for better output waveforms. A single-gap PSS with a withstand voltage of 40kV and a repetitive frequency of 100Hz has been designed to switch the Blumlein PFN. The experiment results show that the square wave generator can output pulses with a voltage of 26kV, a rise time of 25ns, and a pulse width of 90ns on a matched load of 11Ω. It has operated steadily for 10h with a repetitive frequency of 100Hz, and the jitter remains at around 1ns after 1.05 × 106 shots.