Nanosecond Pulse Generator Using Diode Opening Switch for Cell Electroperturbation Studies

Studies of short pulse cell electroperturbation require high-voltage nanosecond pulses delivered to low- impedance electroporation cuvette loads. We present the design and operation of such a pulse generator based on series and parallel connected ordinary rectifying diodes as an opening switch. The generator is designed to produces 5 ns wide, 10 kV amplitude pulses into a 10 Omega cuvette load. The design incorporates a primary IGBT switch. Pulses produced by the IGBT are compressed by one low- loss, nanocrystalline, saturable core compression stages. The compressed pulses are fed to the diode opening switch through a fast, ferrite saturable core transformer. The all-solid-state design results in reproducible pulses and reliable, long-life operation. The prototype system currently generates pulses of 18.4 ns wide and 4.56 kV amplitude under repetition rate of 20 Hz.