Abstract:
Pulse-generator circuits that permit independent control of pulse widths and the delays between successive pulses. In several embodiments, a pulse-generator subcircuit includes a transmission-line segment comprising first and second conductors, configured such that the first conductor is coupled to a first DC potential. The pulse-generator subcircuit further includes a terminating resistor coupled to a first end of the second conductor of the first transmission-line segment; this terminating resistor is matched to the characteristic impedance of the transmission-line segment. The pulse-generator subcircuit further includes first and second switches, controlled by first and second timing signals, respectively, and configured to selectively and independently connect respective first and second ends of the first conductor to a second DC potential. This second potential may be ground, in some embodiments, while the DC potential supplied to the pulse-generator subcircuit by the power-supply subcircuit may range from a very small voltage to voltages exceeding a kilovolt.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to circuits for generating electrical pulses, and more particularly to high-voltage pulse-generator circuits employing transmission lines as energy storage devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     High-voltage pulse-generator circuits are useful in a wide variety of applications, from long-distance radio communications to intricate surgical procedures involving the application of high-intensity pulsed electric fields to the lens of the human eye. Many of these applications require tight control of the pulse shapes and durations, even in the face of wide variations in the characteristics of the loads receiving the pulses. 
     Simple high-voltage pulse generators using transmission-line devices for energy storage have been used for several decades. One such device, pictured in  FIG. 1 , was described by Ishii, et al., in the article “Self-matched high-voltage rectangular wave pulse generator,” published November 1985 in the  Review of Scientific Instruments , vol. 81(11). A similar device, using a spark discharge device in place of the switch S 1  pictured in  FIG. 1 , is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,723, issued 20 Aug. 1985 to Lang et al., and titled “High-Power Pulse Generator Using Transmission Line with Spark Discharge Device.” The entire contents of U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,723 are incorporated by reference herein, to provide background for the below description of improved pulse-generator circuits. 
     The detailed operation of the circuit of  FIG. 1  is described in the Ishii article. Transmission line  100  serves as a capacitive energy-storage device. Here, transmission line  100  is illustrated as a segment of coaxial cable, although other transmission lines might also be used. The coaxial cable segment has an inner conductor and an outer conductor, with suitable insulation between the conductors. In the illustrated circuit, the outer conductor of transmission line  100  is charged to voltage V SUPPLY  by power supply  110 , through charging resistor R C . A terminating resistor R T  is connected to the inner conductor at one end of transmission line  100 ; for best operation (i.e., to minimize pulse reflections propagating towards the load), the value of R T  is selected to match the characteristic impedance Z 0  of transmission line  100 . Thus, for example, a 50 ohm resistor should be used to terminate a coaxial cable segment having a nominal characteristic impedance of 50 ohms. The other end of the inner conductor of transmission line  100  is connected to the load Z L —as discussed in further detail below, the operation of this pulse-generator circuit is generally insensitive to the impedance of load Z L , insofar as reflection-free operation is concerned. 
     When the outer conductor of transmission line  100  is charged to V SUPPLY , the closing of switch S 1  simultaneously shorts both ends of the outer conductor to ground, initiating the simultaneous launch of traveling waves from both ends of the transmission line towards its center. If V SUPPLY =−2 (an assumption that simplifies the following expressions), the traveling wave launched from the load end of transmission line  100  has an amplitude of (α 1 −2), where the refraction coefficient α 1  equals 2Z L /(Z 0 +Z L ), and Z 0  is the characteristic impedance of transmission line  100 . The traveling wave launched from the other end has an amplitude of (α 2 −2), where α 2 =2R T (Z 0 +R T ). If the terminator resistor R T  is selected to match the characteristic impedance of transmission line  100 , then α 2 =1. 
     With the simplifying assumption that transmission line  100  is lossless (and assuming that R T  is matched to Z 0 ), it can be shown that the voltage across the load Z L , relative to the switch&#39;s closing at time t=0, is given by: 
     
       
         
           
             { 
             
               
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           V 
                           L 
                         
                         = 
                         
                           α 
                           1 
                         
                       
                       , 
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         for 
                         ⁢ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         t 
                       
                       = 
                       
                         0 
                         ⁢ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         to 
                         ⁢ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         τ 
                       
                     
                   
                 
                 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           V 
                           L 
                         
                         = 
                         0 
                       
                       , 
                     
                   
                   
                     
                       otherwise 
                       , 
                     
                   
                 
               
                 
             
           
         
       
     
     where τ is the electrical length of transmission line  100 . In other words, the voltage waveform across Z L  is a simple rectangular pulse having an amplitude of α 1  and a duration of τ. Importantly, the pulse&#39;s duration, which is established solely by the electrical length of the transmission line, is independent of the impedance of the load Z L . 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that the inner and outer conductors of transmission line  100  are electrically interchangeable. Thus, the components of  FIG. 1  that are connected to the outer conductor of transmission line  100  may be instead connected to the inner conductor of transmission line  100 , and vice-versa, without changing the basic operation of the circuit. Of course, the practical impact may be much more significant; thus the pictured configuration may be more convenient to implement. The same is true with respect to all of the schematic illustrations provided herein—while those illustrations suggest particular configurations with respect to the inner and outer conductors of one or more coaxial transmission lines, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conductors of a transmission line are generally electrically, if not physically, interchangeable. 
     SUMMARY 
     As described more fully below, several embodiments of the present invention include pulse-generator circuits that permit independent control of pulse widths and the delays between successive pulses. In some embodiments, two pulse-generator subcircuits are combined to produce positive-going and negative-going pulses, which can be independently controlled. With these circuits, high-voltage pulses of dual polarity can be delivered to a target that is physically separated from the pulse-generator circuit. The target load does not need to be matched to the pulse-generator circuit to deliver reflection-free pulses. Thus, these circuits are useful in applications where the load impedance is unknown, varying, or simply difficult to match. While these applications include ophthalmic surgery where high-voltage pulsed energy is delivered to a subject eye, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the techniques and circuits disclosed herein are not limited in their application to the fields of ophthalmology or to medical devices. 
     In several embodiments, a circuit comprises a pulse-generator subcircuit and a power-supply subcircuit configured to supply a DC potential to the pulse-generator subcircuit. In these embodiments, the pulse-generator subcircuit includes a transmission-line segment comprising first and second conductors, configured such that the first conductor is coupled to the power-supply subcircuit. This coupling may be via a simple isolating charging resistor, in some embodiments. The pulse-generator subcircuit further includes a terminating resistor coupled to a first end of the second conductor of the first transmission-line segment; this terminating resistor is matched to the characteristic impedance of the transmission-line segment, in many embodiments. The pulse-generator subcircuit further includes first and second switches, controlled by first and second timing signals, respectively, and configured to selectively and independently connect respective first and second ends of the first conductor to a second DC potential. This second potential may be ground, in some embodiments, while the DC potential supplied to the pulse-generator subcircuit by the power-supply subcircuit may range from a very small voltage to voltages exceeding a kilovolt. 
     In some embodiments, the transmission-line segment may consist of one or more segments of a coaxial transmission line, such that the first conductor in the above-described embodiments corresponds to the outer conductor of the coaxial transmission-line segment, while the second conductor corresponds to the coaxial transmission-line segment&#39;s inner conductor. Other transmission line structures may be suitable in some applications. In some embodiments, the transmission-line segment of the pulse-generator subcircuit may comprise two subsegments connected in series and such that the second conductor is connected to the second DC potential at a point between the two subsegments. 
     Several embodiments of the circuits described above may further comprise an inverting delay-line subcircuit to invert the pulses output by the pulse-generator subcircuit. Some of these embodiments comprise a second transmission-line segment having third and fourth conductors, wherein the third conductor couples the second end of the second conductor to a third DC potential and the fourth conductor is connected to the third DC potential at an end closest to the first pulse-generator subcircuit and connected to a first output node at the opposing end. The second and third DC potentials may be same (or approximately the same) in some embodiments, such as when they are both at ground potential. In other embodiments, however, the second and third DC potentials may be different. Further, the characteristic impedance of the second transmission-line segment is preferably, although not necessarily, matched to the characteristic impedance of the transmission-line segment in the pulse-generator subcircuit. Likewise, the length of the transmission-line segment in the inverting delay-line subcircuit is preferably, although not necessarily, greater than the length of the transmission-line segment in the pulse-generator subcircuit. 
     Similarly, several embodiments of the circuits described above may further comprise a delay-line subcircuit that includes a transmission-line segment having third and fourth conductors, wherein the third conductor couples the second end of the second conductor (of the pulse-generator subcircuit) to a first output node. Again, the characteristic impedances of the transmission-line segments are preferably, but not necessarily, at least approximately equal, and the length of the transmission-line segment in the delay-line subcircuit is preferably, but not necessarily, greater than the length of the transmission-line segment in the pulse-generator subcircuit. 
     In still other embodiments, a circuit comprising a pulse-generator subcircuit and a delay-line subcircuit, as described above, may further include a second pulse-generator subcircuit and an inverting delay-line subcircuit coupling the second pulse-generator subcircuit to the first output node, so that the delay-line subcircuit&#39;s fourth conductor is connected to a third DC potential at an end closest to the first pulse-generator subcircuit and is connected to the third DC potential via a first selectively operable isolating switch at the opposing end. In these embodiments, the inverting delay-line subcircuit comprises a third transmission-line segment having fifth and sixth conductors, configured so that the fifth conductor couples an output of the second pulse-generator subcircuit to the third DC potential, via a second selectively operable isolating switch, and the sixth conductor is connected to the third DC potential at an end closest to the first pulse-generator subcircuit and connected to the first output node at the fourth conductor&#39;s opposing end. These embodiments permit the generation of independently adjustable positive-going and negative-going pulses. In some of these circuits, the second pulse-generator subcircuit is coupled to a second power-supply subcircuit configured to supply a fourth DC potential to the first pulse-generator subcircuit, while in others, the same power-supply subcircuit is coupled to both pulse-generator subcircuits. The lengths of the transmission-line segments within the two pulse-generator subcircuits may be the same, in some embodiments, or differ, in others. Accordingly, the possible range of pulse widths may be the same or differ, for the positive-going and negative-going pulses. 
     Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the above features, advantages, contexts or examples, and will recognize additional features and advantages upon reading the following detailed description and upon viewing the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates schematically a high-power pulse-generator circuit. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates schematically a pulse-generator circuit including a delay line. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates another embodiment of a pulse-generator circuit, including an inverting delay line. 
         FIG. 4  schematically illustrates a pulse-generator circuit configured to generate dual-polarity pulses. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As briefly mentioned above, opthalmological surgery is one field (of many) in which high-voltage generators may be employed. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/618,244, filed 13 Nov. 2009, describes various embodiments of an eye surgery apparatus that includes a probe comprising two or more electrodes and configured for delivery of a high-intensity pulsed electrical field to a surgical site within an eye. In particular, this patent application, referred to hereinafter as “the &#39;244 application,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, describes systems that include a transducer configured to monitor one or more surgical parameters within the eye during application of a high-intensity pulsed electrical field to the surgical site. The described systems further include a pulse-generation circuit configured to generate a series of electrical pulses for application to the electrodes to create the high-intensity pulsed electrical field, and a control circuit configured to automatically adjust one or more characteristics of the series of electrical pulses, based on the monitored surgical parameters. With these systems, characteristics of the high-intensity pulses applied to the surgical site can be automatically adjusted, based on the monitoring of one or more surgical parameters within the eye during the application of the high-intensity pulsed electrical field. In particular, the amount of energy delivered, and the profile of the energy delivery, can be limited to levels necessary for effective operation without over-exposing the vitreous of the eye. 
     The systems described in the &#39;244 application involve the use of a pulse generator capable of delivering high-voltage pulsed energy. The techniques described herein may be used to produce such a pulse generator that has the capability to deliver pulses, with adjustable pulse widths and delays, to a load that may present a varying impedance to the pulse generator. Of course, while ophthalmic surgery is one application for the pulse-generator circuits and pulse generating techniques disclosed herein, the applicability of these circuits and techniques is by no means limited to the fields of ophthalmology or to medical devices 
       FIG. 2  illustrates schematically a pulse-generator circuit based on the use of a charged transmission line for energy storage. The circuit of  FIG. 2  includes a pulse-generator portion, with an energy-storing segment of transmission line (consisting of two transmission-line segments  210  and  220 ), and a delay-line portion, consisting of another segment of transmission line  230  coupled to a load impedance Z L . Although the delay-line transmission-line segment  230  may be of any length, it is generally selected to be longer than the longest pulse width generated by the pulse-generator circuit; in some cases it may be much longer, allowing a generally arbitrary separation between the pulse-generator subcircuit and the load. The characteristic impedance of delay line transmission-line segment  230  need not be matched to the load impedance Z L , but is generally matched to the terminating resistance R T , as are the pulse-generator transmission-line segments  210  and  220 . A characteristic impedance of 50 ohms may be frequently used, as coaxial transmission lines with that impedance and having sufficient breakdown voltages are readily available. 
     The pulse-generator transmission-line segments  210  and  220  effectively comprise a split transmission-line segment, with the center conductor of both tied to ground at the center and the outer conductor of both segments charged to a DC potential V SUPPLY  provided by power supply  110 , through the charging resistor R C . (The pictured charging circuit is perhaps the simplest available; other charging circuit configurations are possible.) One end of the center conductor of the split transmission-line segment formed by segments  210  and  220  is terminated with a termination resistance R T ; as noted above, this resistance is generally matched to the characteristic impedance of the transmission-line segments. The other end is coupled to the load, through delay-line transmission-line segment  230 . Pulses are generated with the pulse-generator transmission-line segments  210  and  220  and delivered to the load through the delay-line portion of the circuit. 
     In the circuit pictured in  FIG. 1  and discussed above, the pulse width produced by the circuit is fixed, as it is determined solely by the length of the transmission line  100 . In the circuit of  FIG. 2 , in contrast, the pulse width is adjustable. While the total length of the transmission-line segments  210  and  220  sets an upper limit to the pulse width, the actual pulse width may be controlled by independently controlling the operation of switches S 2  and S 3 , which selectively couple opposing ends of the pulse-generator subcircuit to ground. 
     The operation of the pulse-generator circuit of  FIG. 2  is best understood by first considering the case where both switches S 2  and S 3  are closed at the same time. In this event, the circuit operates similarly to the circuit of  FIG. 1 , which uses only a single switch. Prior to the closing of switch S 2 , the potential at point A is ground. The closing of switch S 2  (using control line CTRL 2 ) immediately lowers the potential at the left-hand end of the outer conductor of transmission-line segment  210  by V SUPPLY  relative to its former ground potential. Assuming that the characteristic impedance of transmission-line segment  230  is equal to that of transmission-line segment  210 , this change in potential is split evenly between the two segments, so that the potential at point A jumps immediately to −V SUPPLY /2. In order to maintain this output voltage, energy begins to flow along the transmission-line segment  210 . This results in a voltage wave front, having a magnitude of −V SUPPLY /2, moving rightward along transmission-line segment  210 . Simultaneously, another voltage wave front, also with a magnitude of −V SUPPLY /2, begins propagating to the left along delay-line transmission-line segment  230 , towards the load Z L . 
     At the same time, the closing of switch S 3  causes a similar effect at the right-hand end of transmission-line segment  220 . Thus, a third voltage wave front, also with a magnitude of −V SUPPLY /2, begins to move leftward, from termination resistor R T , along transmission-line segment  220 . Eventually, this third voltage wave front arrives at point A, and continues to propagate towards load Z L  along segment  230 , lagging the first voltage wave front by a delay set by the combined length of segments  210  and  220 . 
     If the switches S 2  and S 3  are closed at time t 0 , then the first wave front arrives at load Z L  at time t 1 =t 0 +L DELAY , where L DELAY  is the electrical length (in units of time) of the delay-line segment  230 . This first wave front forms the leading edge of the pulse delivered to the load Z L ; this pulse&#39;s amplitude will depend on the impedance of load Z L . The third wave front, which effectively terminates the pulse delivered to load Z L , arrives at load Z, at time t 2 =t 1 +L PULSE , where L PULSE  is the electrical length of the pulse-generator subcircuit (i.e., the combined electrical length of segments  210  and  220 ). Thus, the width of the pulse delivered to load Z L  is t 2 −t 1 =L PULSE . 
     Given that the termination resistor R T  is matched to the characteristic impedance of the pulse-generator transmission-line segments, the rightward-traveling wave front is terminated at termination resistor R T , i.e., no reflection is transmitted back towards the load. On the other hand, load Z L  might not be matched to the characteristic impedance of the transmission-line segment  230 ; in this case, the front edge and back edge of the pulse will each generate reflections when they encounter the load Z L . However, these reflections will eventually be absorbed by the termination resistance R T , and no other reflections will occur. Accordingly, while the amplitude of the pulse delivered to load Z L  is affected by the load&#39;s impedance, the pulse width is independent of the impedance. This is important when the impedance of the load is unknown, or may vary from time to time, or when the load impedance is sufficiently high or low that a reliable matching circuit is difficult to realize. 
     In the example scenario described above, switches S 2  and S 3  were closed simultaneously, resulting in a pulse width that depends solely on the electrical length of the pulse-generator transmission-line subcircuit. Independently closing switches S 2  and S 3  at different times allows the pulse width to be controlled, from widths that are substantially shorter than the electrical length of the pulse generator, to widths that are nearly twice as long. The former (short widths) can be produced by closing switch S 3  before switch S 2 , so that the traveling wave that forms the back end of the pulse gets a “head start” on the traveling wave that forms the front end. Alternatively, closing switch S 2  before switch S 3  lengthens the pulse, as the back end of the pulse is delayed relative to the front end. Accordingly, selectively and independently controlling the closing of switches S 2  and S 3  allows the pulse width (as well as the pulse&#39;s absolute timing) to be adjusted. Opening the switches again allows the pulse-generator circuit to re-charge (at a time constant determined by R C  and the capacitance of the transmission-line segments); thus, a train of pulses, each with independently controllable widths and timings, can be generated with the circuit of  FIG. 2 . 
     In the circuit of  FIG. 2 , the pulses delivered to the load Z L  are negative-going, assuming that V SUPPLY  is positive. A positive-going pulse can be generated instead by simply substituting a negative supply voltage (or by reversing the V SUPPLY  and ground connections in the circuit illustrated in  FIG. 2 ). Alternatively, a pulse-generator subcircuit like that shown in  FIG. 2  can be connected to the load Z L  using an inverting delay-line structure, to convert the positive-going pulse into a negative-going pulse. 
     One such circuit is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . In this circuit, the pulse-generator subcircuit comprises a single transmission-line segment  310 ; while the details of the wave propagation within the transmission-line segment will differ slightly from those in the circuit of  FIG. 2 , the pulse-generator subcircuits of these two circuits are functionally identical (provided that the electrical length of transmission-line segment  310  is the same as the total length of transmission-line segments  210  and  220 ). 
     The functional difference between the circuits of  FIGS. 2 and 3  results from the connections to the delay-line portion of each circuit. In both circuits, the load impedance Z L  is connected across the delay-line transmission-line segment. In  FIG. 2 , the closest end of that transmission-line segment is grounded, while in  FIG. 3 , it is not. This results in an inversion of the pulse generated at point B, when it is ultimately delivered to load impedance Z L . Otherwise, the operation of the circuit in  FIG. 3  is similar to that of  FIG. 2 . In both circuits, the absolute timing and the width of the pulses delivered to the load impedance Z L  can be controlled by selectively and independently connecting the ends of the pulse-generator subcircuit to ground, via switches S 2  and S 3 . 
     Multiple pulse-generator circuits can be combined, to provide even more flexibility and control. One such combination circuit is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Here, delay-line segment  430  and pulse-generator segment  410  generate negative-going pulses for delivery to load Z L , via delay-line segment  470 . The timing and width of these pulses can be controlled via switches S 5  and S 6 , while the amplitude of these pulses depends on the DC potential V S1  supplied by power supply  450 . Inverting delay-line segment  440  and pulse-generator segment  410 , on the other hand, generate positive-going pulses for delivery to load Z L , also via delay-line segment  470 . The timing and width of these positive-going pulses can be separately and independently controlled via switches S 8  and S 9 , while the amplitude of these pulses depends on the DC potential V S2  supplied by power supply  460 . (Of course, both pulse-generator subcircuits could be charged from a single power supply.) Switches S 4  and S 7  serve to isolate the two pulse-generator subcircuits from one another—when S 4  is open, the top pulse-generator subcircuit is “invisible” to the other, while opening S 7  isolates the bottom pulse-generator subcircuit from the other. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various DC potentials shown in  FIGS. 2-4  can be arbitrarily set. Thus, while it may be particularly convenient to use DC ground as shown in the figures, another DC potential may be substituted for DC ground in any of these figures. Indeed, those skilled in the art will understand that the illustrated circuits and the accompanying descriptions have been provided for purposes of illustration and example, and the present invention may be carried out in other ways than those specifically set forth herein without departing from essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are thus to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.