A 6 GW nanosecond solid-state generator based on semiconductor opening switch

In this paper, a nanosecond all solid-state generator providing peak power of up to 6 GW, output voltage of 500-900 kV, pulse length (full width at half maximum) of ∼7 ns across external loads of 40-100 Ω, and pulse repetition frequency up to 1 kHz in burst operation mode is described. The output pulse is generated by a semiconductor opening switch (SOS). A new SOS pumping circuit based on a double forming line (DFL) is proposed and its implementation described. As compared with a lumped capacitors-based pumping circuit, the DFL allows minimization of the inductance and stray capacitance of the reverse pumping circuit, and thus, an increase in the SOS cutoff current amplitude and generator output peak power as a whole. The pumping circuit provides a reverse current increasing through the SOS up to 14 kA within ∼12 ns. The SOS cuts off the current in ∼2 ns; the current cutoff rate reaches 7 kA/ns. The SOS braking power (the product of peak voltage and cutoff current) for an external load above 100 Ω is 13 GW.