A High Power UWB Source Designed for Vulnerability Testing of Electronic Systems

Summary form only given. A high power ultra wide band (UWB) sourced system has been designed and constructed for evaluating the vulnerability of electronic systems to intense pulsed electric fields. The UWB antenna, implemented with a linear half TEM horn structure, is sourced by a seven-stage Marx generator and is capable of delivering pulsed electric field strengths of more than 60 kV/m at 1 m. The system is completed by a battery-powered enclosure containing dual polarity high voltage power supplies, a high voltage trigger unit, and an air pressure regulator. The user is provided with command charge and trigger control via a fiber-optically isolated, handheld unit. This paper describes the design and experimental results of the system.