Sub-nanosecond jitter operation of Marx generators

Low energy, high peak power Marx generators are finding applications in ultra wideband radar and high power microwave systems. In many cases, these systems require very precise control over the delivery of the pulse from the generator. For example, unique systems might be used for bi-static radar, and excessive temporal jitter between the generators may add ambiguity to the measurement. A 17 stage Marx generator was fabricated to study techniques for reducing the jitter in a multi-spark gap system. This paper presents the results of a jitter study.