Scaling and Improvement of Compact Explosively-Driven Ferroelectric Generators

Explosively-driven ferroelectric generators are capable of producing single-shot voltage pulses of more than 100 kV, while requiring no seed electrical source, being very compact, and shelf stable. Problems with ferroelectric generators are the low energy output, high dielectric constant of the ferroelectric material, low surface flashover voltage, inconsistent ferroelectric material quality, and uneven or excessive shockwave compression. Initial generator voltage waveforms show that breakdown occurred towards the end of the generator operation time. Several designs and methods have been tested and implemented to prevent surface flashover with varying results. The ferroelectric discs used for the generators were 0.4 inch thick, 1 inch diameter EC-64 PZT ceramic discs. Several six-disc generators were built and tested with resulting open-circuit voltage pulses of 80-140 kV with a FWHM of 2-4 mus. Further improvements to the generators have been designed to prevent surface flashover, improve the explosive driver element and propagating shockwave, as well as increasing the number of discs per generator. Measured output waveforms into varying loads including direct driven antennas will be shown and discussed.