Query: High-power nanosecond pulse generators based on semiconductor opening switches (review)

Candidate papers:

author_names: Sergei N Rukin
title: High Power Nanosecond Pulse Generators Based on Semiconductor Opening Switches (Review)
year: 1999

abstract: This paper presents a systematized review of the research on the production of nanosecond high power pulses using solid state generators based on an inductive energy store and a semiconductor opening switch that have been performed in the past 25 years. This research has been underway since 1992 1993 when the nanosecond cutoff of ultrahigh density currents in semiconductor diodes was discovered and named the SOS (Semiconductor Opening Switch) effect. The discovery of the SOS effect provided a breakthrough in the development of semiconductor generators, as their most important characteristics, such as pulse power and output voltage, were increased tens and hundreds of times compared with previously known semiconductor generators. In particular, in the nanosecond semiconductor technology, megavolt voltages combined with gigawatt peak powers have been achieved. This review considers the main physical processes that determine the mechanism of operation of a SOS based on the SOS effect. The principle of operation, design, and characteristics of SOS diodes and SOS generators is described, and prospects for their further development are discussed. Examples are given of using SOS generators in various pulsed power applications such as electron accelerators, X ray pulse devices, high power microwave electronics, pumping of gas lasers, and ignition of electrical discharges.
author_names: Sergei N Rukin
title: Pulsed power technology based on semiconductor opening switches: A review.
venue: The Review of scientific instruments
year: 2020

abstract: The paper describes the investigation of fast thyristor based switches operating as a primary switch in nanosecond pulse generators with a semiconductor opening switch (SOS) Commercially available thyristors with the diameter of the silicon wafer of 40 mm and an operating voltage of 2.4 kV DC were used. The thyristor based switches contained 2 to 6 series connected thyristors and operated in this triggering mode in different discharge circuits. Switch blocking voltage was 4 to 12 kV and stored energy was 16 J. The following discharge parameters were obtained: discharge current amplitude of 8 kA, maximum current rise rate of 40 kA/ms, current pulse duration FWHM of ~1 ms, and switching efficiency of ~0.9. The intrinsic recovery time of the tested thyristors was determined, which was close to 1 ms. Therefore, the maximum PRF was up to ~1 kHz in a burst mode. More than 106 shots were performed. After that, no thyristor degradation was observed. The novel circuit design of the all solid state SOS generator with output voltage up to 300 kV and peak power up to 250 MW was developed. Thyristor based switch (12 kV, 7 kA, 500 ns) triggered in impact ionization wave mode was used as a primary switch. Implementation of such a switch allowed significantly increasing the efficiency of the SOS generator and decreasing its cost due to reducing the number of magnetic switches.
author_names: Anton I Gusev

Sergei K Lyubutin

Andrey V Ponomarev

Sergei N Rukin

Boris G Slovikovsky
title: Primary High Voltage Thyristor Based Switches Triggerred in Impact Ionization Wave Mode for High Power SOS Generators
venue: 2018 IEEE International Power Modulator and High Voltage Conference (IPMHVC)
year: 2018

abstract: New design of power nanosecond range generators for electric discharge in gases is described. These generators are based on semiconductor opening switches Drift Step Recovery Diodes (DSRD) The main advantages of DSRD are very short switching off time ;3 ns) high commutated power >500 kW for single DSRD with 2 cm2 of semiconductor structure) and high reliability of high voltage stacks consisting of many connected in series DSRD. The experimental results of DSRDbased generator application for ozone production and waste gas cleaning are presented. The main parameters of the generators: output pulse voltage up to 36 kV, pulse rise time ;4 ns, pulse repetition rate up to 3.5 kHz, output pulse power >4.5 MW.
author_names: Alexander G Lyublinsky

S V Korotkov

Yu V Aristov

D A Korotkov
title: Pulse Power Nanosecond Range DSRD Based Generators for Electric Discharge Technologies
venue: IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
year: 2013

abstract: The authors describe how, as a result of long time research and development, a very high power, repetitive mode, semiconductor based nanosecond technique is now commercially available. Drift step recovery diodes and inverse recover diodes are preferable as a base for generators with pulse rise times of 0.5 3 ns and pulse powers less than 50 80 MW. Silicon opening switch diodes are preferable at pulse rise times higher than 5 ns with any power and at any pulse rise time if the pulse power is higher than 100 MW.
author_names: I V Grekhov

Gennadii A Mesyats
title: Physical basis for high power semiconductor nanosecond opening switches
venue: Digest of Technical Papers. 12th IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference. (Cat. No.99CH36358)
year: 1999

abstract: One of the promising designs of high power nano and subnanosecond pulse generators is based on FID stacks triggered with a nanosecond pulse of overvoltage. This pulse is usually formed by semiconductor opening switches (DSRDs) Delay time of these switches is equal to the sum of forward and reverse current pulse duration, i.e. several hundreds of nanoseconds. Due to special diode structure, a novel opening switch, inverse recovery diode (IRD) is capable of forming the nanosecond pulse of voltage with a delay time equal to the reverse current pulse duration (15 20 ns) The high voltage nanosecond pulse formed with the IRD is used for fast triggering of the first DC biased FID from a high voltage DC biased FID stack. The formed fast overvoltage pulse is applied to the second FID, etc. As a result, the high voltage FID stack is switched on the order of a nanosecond. The total delay time of the IRD FID based pulse generator is less than 30 ns
author_names: I V Grekhov

S V Korotkov

A Stepaniants

D V Khristyuk

V B Voronkov
title: High power semiconductor based nano and subnanosecond, pulse generator with a low delay time
venue: Conference Record of the Twenty Sixth International Power Modulator Symposium, 2004 and 2004 High Voltage Workshop.
year: 2004

abstract: One of the promising designs of high power nanosecond and subnanosecond pulse generators is based on the fast ionization dynistor (FID) stack triggered with nanosecond pulse of overvoltage. This pulse is usually formed by semiconductor opening switches. Delay time of these switches equals the sum of forward and reverse current pulse duration, i.e. several hundreds of nanoseconds. The novel opening switch, inverse recovery diode (IRD) is capable of forming a nanosecond pulse of voltage with the delay time equal to the reverse current pulse duration (15 20 ns) due to the special diode structure. High voltage nanosecond pulse formed with IRD is used for fast triggering of the first FID from high voltage dc biased FID stack. The resulting fast overvoltage pulse is applied to the second FID, etc. As a result, the high voltage FID stack is switched for units of nanosecond. Total delay time of IRD FID based pulse generators is less than 30 ns.
author_names: I V Grekhov

S V Korotkov

A Stepaniants

D V Khristyuk

V B Voronkov

Yu V Aristov
title: High power semiconductor based nano and subnanosecond pulse Generator with a low delay time
venue: IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
year: 2005

abstract: Abstract A review of applications of double discharge circuits based on generators with inductive energy storage (IES) and semiconductor opening switches (SOS) for efficient excitation of different gas lasers is presented. Using a pre pulse sustainer circuit technique based on inductive energy storage and semiconductor opening switch generators allows the formation of a pre pulse with high amplitude and short rise time and provides a sharp increase of discharge current which significantly improves discharge stability and life time of the volume discharge in gas mixtures containing halogens. A pre pulse with high pumping power forms a high density discharge plasma and an inversion population in gas mixtures under study within ~10 ns and provides both early onset of lasing and conditions for efficient excitation of an active medium from the storage capacitor. As a result, pulse duration, output energy and efficiency of the lasers under study were improved.
author_names: Alexei N Panchenko

Viktor F Tarasenko
title: Efficient gas lasers pumped by double discharge circuits with semiconductor opening switch
year: 2012

abstract: The development of high power pulse engineering is associated with the necessity to solve a set of problems, among which are the methods of storing the energy and its transfer to load. The search of optimal technical solutions at the stored energy of ~107 J and over leads to an obvious conclusion which is in the favor of using inductive storages (IS) since they have a greater potential in view of the energy concentration1. In work a method of screening the primary winding in the transformer IS is proposed that permits attaining, with minimal losses, the value of ts/tp ~107 and more where ts and tp are the times of the energy storage in IS and the energy transfer from IS, respectively. Structure of pulses generators on IS is parallel series connections of elements inductive storage the opening switch a load. This connection version in case of POS is required. One of the problems of POS is impossible nanosecond synchronization at parallel works of generators. The technical solution with semiconductor opening switch (SOS) is offered consideration in this paper. SOS lets to attain high level synchronization of all parts of generator. Technical solution construction of module based on IS, which may be part of high pulsed power generators is offered this paper too. The energies pulses of modules may be summarized as sum of the current so sum of the voltage.
author_names: Oleg G Egorov
title: The generator module to generate high power nanosecond pulses on the basis of inductive storages
venue: 2013 19th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (PPC)
year: 2013

abstract: A novel nanosecond semiconductor opening switch (SOS) has been developed which has a pulsed power of the GW range and voltage levels of up to a few 100's of kV. The SOS is based on high voltage solid state rectifiers and is designed for pulsed power generators with inductive energy storage. A 30 115 opening phase duration. a 45 k A interrupted current. and a 450 kV opened SOS voltage have been attained with the use of a three stage, 2 kJ. 150 kV open circuit Marx generator as the SOS driver. On the basis of the experimental results obtained, we have developed and tested repetitive high current generators and accelerators with a 0.5 MV output voltage and a 15 to 100 ns pulse width. The ideology is presented of constructing high power megavolt pulsed generators with an all solid state switching system. A description is provided of the setups developed on this principle. We discuss features peculiar to the setups developed and prospects of developing these further
author_names: Yu A Kotov

G Mesyats

Sergei N Rukin

A L Filatov

Sergei K Lyubutin
title: A NOVEL NANOSECOND SEMICONDUCTOR OPENING SWITCH FOR MEGAVOLT REPETITIVE PULSED POWER TECHNOLOGY: EXP
venue: Ninth IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference
year: 1993