Development and Testing of the ILC Marx Modulator

Summary form only given. Construction of the ILC ´Reference Design´ Marx Modulator is complete, and testing is currently underway at SLAC. The Reference Design modulator prototype is oil-free, air-cooled, and capable of delivering 120kV, 140A pulses at a rate of 5Hz. Total energy per pulse is 23,500 joules. Projected efficiency is greater than 96%. The Reference Design Marx modulator employs a stack of 12kV Marx modules that generate 120kV output pulses directly from a 12kV input supply voltage. This direct switching eliminates the requirement for a massive transformer and reduces the capacitor bank size by more than a factor of four, yielding a considerably cheaper and more compact mechanical solution. Advantages of the Marx design include higher efficiency, smaller physical size, and a modular architecture that provides greater reliability and cost-effective PC board-level integration. This paper outlines the ILC Marx Modulator Development Program currently underway at SLAC. The paper presents detailed mechanical and electrical design diagrams, 3D field simulations, and operational test results for the full-scale Reference Design modulator prototype.