Development of prepulse and mainpulse delay circuit with high reliability in capillary discharge system

For the purpose of controlling preionized plasma state in capillary precisely, we developed a new prepulse and mainpulse delay circuit. A Single-Chip Microcomputer (SCM) chip was utilized as the delay time unit of the circuit. Measures had been taken in the design process of the circuit to make sure that its function cannot be disturbed by intense electromagnetic interference generated by capillary discharge system. The experimental results show that the delay circuit can adjust to discharge experimental conditions. By utilizing the circuit, the stability of Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm soft X-ray laser output has been improved.