The ILC Marx Modulator Development Program at SLAC

The International Linear Collider (ILC) baseline design requires 576 L-band klystron stations, each supplying 10 MW peak RF power to the accelerating structures. Each klystron requires a modulator capable of delivering 12 kV, 140 A 1.6 ms pulses, at 5 Hz. Solid-state Marx modulator topologies are rapidly becoming feasible with the advent of PC-board-level 4500 V IGBTs, fast single junction HV diodes, high density capacitors, and sophisticated modeling software. Making full use of recent technology advances, the ILC Marx Modulator program at SLAC plans to pursue a 12 kV solid-state Marx design, which appears to offer significantly higher efficiency, availability, and cost savings than existing modulator options.