Patent ID: 7345429

Claim:
A pulsed power supply comprising: a) a voltage source that generates a voltage at an output; b) an energy storage device that is electrically connected to the voltage source, the voltage source charging the energy storage device to store an energy; c) a switching device that is electrically connected to the energy storage device, the switching device releasing the energy stored in the energy storage device when activated; d) a transformer comprising a primary coil that is electrically coupled to the switching device and a secondary coil, the primary coil receiving the energy stored in the energy storage device when the switch is activated and transforming the received energy to the secondary coil in order to generate multi-step voltage pulses; e) a driving circuit that is electrically connected to the transformer, the driving circuit forming at least one of a rise time, a fall time, a duration, and an amplitude of the multi-step voltage pulses to generate a strongly-ionized plasma; and f) arc suppression circuitry that reduces a probability of arcing by dropping the amplitude of the multi-step voltage pulses, thereby limiting a plasma discharge current of the strongly-ionized plasma.