Nanosecond Pulse Generator with Scalable Pulse Amplitude

The design and operation of a pulse generator capable of delivering a 5 ns pulse with a variable amplitude into a 50 Omega load is described. Experimental studies have shown that nanoelectropulses of sufficiently short rise time and duration can affect intracellular structures such as the nucleus and mitochondria without permanently damaging the outer cell membrane. This process, known as electroperturbation, has been shown to trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death), and research is currently underway at USC to develop a high-voltage pulsing system that is capable of killing cancer cells [1]. The pulse is formed by a novel single stage architecture composed of an LC network and a diode opening switch. The omission of saturable core inductors and transformers enhances performance by allowing the pulse´s amplitude to be adjusted independently of its shape. The scalability of the generator´s pulse amplitude will simplify the setup for experiments that require pulses with different electric field strengths but the same rise time and duration.