Megavolt repetitive SOS-based generator

Summary form only given. For commercial applications of pulsed power an all-solid-state nanosecond generator has been developed. The generator is based on SOS-technology and designed to deliver 40 to 60-ns pulses with an amplitude of up to 1 MV at a 500-Hz repetition rate into electron beam or streamer corona discharge load. An output average power is up to 30 kW. A distinctive feature of the generator is that it uses all solid state switching system. As a final power amplifier an inductive storage and a semiconductor opening switch (SOS) are used. A magnetic pulse compressor pumps the SOS. Thyristor charging unit is used at the input of the generator. The semiconductor opening switch based on SOS-diodes is one of the key components of the generator. This unit has the operating voltage of 1.2 MV and cuts off currents up to 4 kA in about 10 ns. The unit is 400 mm long and its mass is about 5 kg. It contains 20 SOS-diodes: 10 diodes in series and 2 diodes in parallel. The generator is outfitted with 1 or 2 such units in parallel depending on the storage inductance. The design of the generator, its circuitry operating principle, and experimental results obtained will be presented.