Development of a high voltage, high frequency, fast dV/dt tester for the study of failure mechanisms in dielectric materials

A bipolar, high voltage, high frequency pulse generator, with fast dv/dt rise time, was designed and assembled, based on stacked MOSFET modules. This unique design was implemented for the study of the impact of transient voltage with high repetition frequency on polymer insulation materials. Due to its all solid-state component design, the generator provides easily controllable output voltage magnitude (+/-10kV), frequency (<;=20kHz), and duty cycle ratio (10-90%). Practical considerations, such as circuit layout, high voltage/current protection, EMI, thermal management, etc., are discussed in the paper. Simulation and experimental results are included to verify the generator´s performance.