A Flexible Solid-State Marx Modulator Module Based on Discrete Magnetic Coupling Drivers

Abstract

With the increasing and deepening application of high-voltage nanosecond solid-state pulse generators in biological, industrial, and environmental fields, the development of existing pulse generators faces many challenges, such as fixed pulse shapes, the usage of isolated driver power supplies, lower power density, and limited output electrical performance. Hence, a novel high-frequency multilevel nanosecond modular solid-state Marx modulator (SSMM) based on discrete magnetic coupling gate drivers is proposed. The gate voltage of the two MOSFETs can be rapidly synchronized at a high repetition frequency to achieve an amplitude-controlled gate voltage within 100 ns. The feasibility of the driver was verified by PSpice simulation and prototype testing. Moreover, a stackable SSMM module (S2M3) structure is proposed to solve the problem of common-mode interference conducted through the driver, which improves the reusability, scalability, and redundancy of modulators. The characteristic parameters of the developed 14-stage S2M3 are as follows: an output voltage amplitude of 5.45 kV with a 100 ns–50 ms width, a minimum rise time of approximately 18 ns, and a continuous repetition frequency of 100 kHz. S2M3 has the ability to change the pulse shape, and the pulse frequency can reach 2.8 MHz within the burst.