Pulsed Modulator for an IEC Neutron Source

Summary form only given. A pulse modulator for an inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) neutron source is currently under development at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Using a pulsed voltage modulator to power the neutron source offers many benefits including compact size, efficiency, reliability, and variable output control. The neutron source requires a pulsed electrical potential of 120 kV and a current of 10 A. The pulse width is required to be variable between 50 mus and 1 ms at a duty factor of 5%, resulting in a pulse repetition frequency ranging from 1 kHz to 50 Hz, respectively. The design of the pulsed high-voltage source is based on a solid-state Marx architecture. This architecture offers the pulse to pulse control over the pulse width, pulse amplitude, pulse repetition frequency, and pulse waveshape. Additional features include built in overcurrent protection through emitter feedback and fault isolation through stage fusing. This paper describes the design, construction, and test results of a scaled prototype modulator for the IEC neutron source. The modulator prototype is scaled to 1/10th the output voltage of the final design to allow air insulated operation of the prototype.