Magnetic pulse compressors, based on magnetic switches, are considered as competitive candidates for high-voltage pulse generation. In this paper, an adjustable high power magnetic pulse compressor, which is deemed as the key component of a power supply system, is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Dominant parameters of the compressor, including compression ratio, saturation time, and peak voltage, can be regulated, which is beneficial for widening the application areas of power supply systems. Specifically, the pre-pulse of the magnetic pulse compressor is studied as one of the key parameters. A two-stage magnetic pulse compressor was then setup. When the charging time was alternated between 19 μs and 25 μs, pulses with rise-time of 1 μs were achieved with good repeatability. The compressor successfully enabled the generation of intense electron-beam with peak power over 5 GW, peak voltage of 380 kV. The device has been successfully used for research on plasma science and driving high power microwave sources. Based on the high reliability of the pulse generator, optical diagnosis has been conducted of the plasma expansion characteristics of the magnetically insulated coaxial diodes cathode, in order to analysis the mechanism of the pulse shortening phenomenon. Experimental results show reasonable agreements with the analyses.

Large overmoded coaxial mymargin slow wave structure was adopted to overcome the problems of low power capacity and narrow electron beam channel in V-band. Based on the simulation design of coaxial Cerenkov oscillator, the experimental research was carried out in this letter. The output microwave with power 226 MW, pulse width 18 ns, frequency 63.2 GHz can be measured, corresponding efficiency is 23%. The influence of voltage and magnetic field on the generation of microwave was also studied. The experimental principle is consistent with the simulation design.

Magnetic switches could improve the stability, reliability, repetition rate, and life of pulsed power systems, based on which, a high power, low impedance, and long pulse generator has been investigated numerically and experimentally. The generator accomplishes the power compression and the pulse forming at a relatively low voltage level, consisting of a core-type pulse transformer, a two-stage magnetic compression unit, a low impedance pulse forming network, and magnetic type main switches. A full circuit model was developed using PSPICE software to analyze key factors that influence output characteristics of the generator. Key subsystems were manufactured and experimental research was carried out on the whole system. Preliminary results achieved with a dummy load of 2.5 Ω show that the output pulse power is about 2.0 GW and the pulsewidth is about 170 ns, which are in reasonable agreement with the numerical analysis.

Metal-oxide varistor (MOV) is a kind of special ceramic which can be used for square pulse forming based on its nonlinear electrical characteristics. The square pulse forming concept based on MOV has been explored and shows a good prospect in the miniaturization of the pulsed power systems. Circuit simulations are usually necessary to verify the forming effect before experiments. This paper describes a new high-voltage equivalent circuit model of MOV, the determination of the model parameters, and its implementation in PSpice. Two test experiments based on single chip MOV and multiple MOVs in series were carried out to test the new model, and the simulation and experiment results showed good consistency. This new model can be applied in further simulation studies of the square pulse forming based on MOV, for example, to improve the efficiency of the experiments.

The solid-state pulsed power generators (PPGs) are widely used in various modern industrial applications for their high repetition rate and long lifetime. The output characteristics of the generators are significantly affected by the dynamic characteristics of the semiconductor switches. Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor power devices, such as silicon carbide metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (SiC MOSFETs), have the potential to structure solid-state PPGs due to many advantages, such as a high rated voltage, low on-resistance, high operational temperature, and fast switching speed. Typically, these devices are used in series/parallel connections to enhance the power level of the generators. However, this approach often leads to increased parasitic inductance of the switching modules, which results in flattened rising edges of the output pulse and reduced power transmission efficiency. The chip-on-board (COB) packaging method exhibits excellent high-frequency performance by allowing current paths to be more flexible, which is suitable for constructing the power module. This article proposes a solid-state PPG with Blumlein pulse forming network (BPFN) and COB packaging SiC-based switching module. The switching module is based on a four-layer printed circuit board (PCB). SiC MOSFET bare dies, gate drivers, and auxiliary elements are directly soldered on the top layer of the PCB. Separate conducting layers are connected to the terminals of the switching module by vias, which provides extra flexibility in designing and enables the stray inductance of the power loop to be minimized to 5.14 nH by optimizing the current communication loops. A 5-kV prototype of the solid-state PPG is fabricated based on the designed switching module. Under a resistive load of 2.8 $\Omega$ , a quasi-square pulse with a 62-ns pulsewidth and a 45-ns rise time can be obtained. Additionally, this generator has been tested at a 500-Hz repetition rate in the burst mode, and the di/dt of the switching module is about 80 A/ns, proving the effectiveness of the solid-state PPG.