Short pulse Marx modulator optimization for advanced accelerators

Summary form only given. Under a U.S. Department of Energy grant, Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) is developing a short pulse, solid-state Marx modulator for the next generation of klystrons and accelerators. For short-pulse modulators, this Marx topology provides a means to achieve astounding risetimes and flattop control that are simply not available with hard switch or transformer coupled topologies. The design is a high peak-power pulse modulator of greater efficiency than presently available, in the 100 kV to 1 MV range, for currents of 0.1 to 1 kA, pulse lengths of 0.2 to 5.0 us, and rise/fall times 10% of pulse length. A key objective of the development effort is a design which is modular and scalable, yet low cost, and easy to manufacture and maintain. The modulator will be delivered to Yale Beam Physics Laboratory for evaluation, and will be affordable for deployment at other national labs for klystron and modulator evaluation. In this paper, DTI will describe the new design and provide an update on progress.