Repetitive auto-triggered Marx generator as the driver of an ultrawideband source

Abstract

Traditional uses of the Marx generator have been limited to energy storage and delivering systems, such as charging capacitors or pulse forming lines. However, low energy, compact, high peak power Marx generators can be used as repetitive drivers for many applications. This paper presents the design, the realisation and experimental tests of a repetitive auto-triggered Marx generator expected to be the driver of a broadband radiation system. This whole system consists of a pulsed power source, i.e. a pulse forming line charged by a Marx bank and an UWB antenna array. Design of the Marx generator were planned to reach a voltage level of up to 400 kV, a 200 Hz repetition rate and a good reproducibility. In this way, the generator is supplied with a high voltage pulsed power supply; charging and discharging circuits were made of home-designed inductors. Furthermore, we focus on the first stage of this Marx generator in which a new simple auto-triggered spark-gap was integrated. The Marx is then combined to a forming line and a peaking spark gap to deliver rectangular output pulses with rise-times closed to 250 ps.