Modulator Considerations For Beam Chopping In The Low Energy Beam Transport At The SSC Laboratory

Beam chopping in the low energy transport line at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory is accomplished using an electrostatic deflection system. LINAC requirements dictate the design of two modulators operating at 10 Hz with rise and fall times (as measured from approximately 10-99%) of /spl sim/100 ns. Design of the first pulser, normally at 10 kV and pulsed to ground potential, utilizes a transformer-coupled diode-clamped solid state circuit to achieve the 2-35 /spl mu/s pulse width range required. The second pulser, which pulses from ground to approximately 7 kV, relies on a series vacuum tube circuit. The current designs, as well as recent test results and other circuit topologies considered, will be presented.