Title :
Performance Evaluation of Pulse Compressor-Based Modulators With Very Fast Rise Times for Plasma Channel Drilling
Author :
Hobejogi, Tonis ; Biela, Juergen
Author_Institution :
Lab. for High Power Electron. Syst., ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract :
In this paper, limitations of compact and durable solid state modulators, using a 4.5-kV IGBT in combination with a pulse compression (PC) circuit are evaluated. Two investigated modulators uses two separate paths: one for ignition voltage and one for high currents. In the first modulator, ignition voltage is generated with a PC circuit based on saturable transformers, which is used to charge a series capacitor. After saturation, the capacitor is connected to the output. The second modulator combines together pulse transformer and magnetic switch. Parasitics have been estimated to find the optimal modulator configuration. Measurement results for validating the models as well as the simulation results are presented. Main limitation factors are described and possible solutions are discussed.
Keywords :
capacitors; drilling; electric ignition; insulated gate bipolar transistors; magnetic switching; modulators; performance evaluation; plasma switches; power semiconductor switches; pulse compression; pulse transformers; semiconductor plasma; IGBT; PC circuit; ignition voltage; magnetic switch; parasitics estimation; performance evaluation; plasma channel drilling; pulse compression circuit; pulse compressor-based modulator; pulse transformer; saturable transformer; series capacitor; solid state modulator; voltage 4.5 kV; Capacitance; Circuit faults; Inductance; Modulation; Transformer cores; Windings; Plasma channel drilling (PCD); pulse compression (PC); toroidal transformer; toroidal transformer.;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2014.2306212
