Nanosecond Pulse Amplifiers

Examples are given of the use of pulse amplifiers in three areas of experimental nuclear physics. The necessity of low noise at the input of these amplifiers leads to a discussion of electronic noise. The need for pulse-shaping networks in amplifiers particularly designed for accurate amplitude analysis is emphasized. The technique of using negative feedback to obtain nanosecond pulse amplifiers is discussed. Calculated and experimental results are given for two series-shunt feedback pair amplifiers. The necessity of using the hybrid fabrication technique in subnanosecond pulse amplifiers is shown as well as the characterization of the transistors and complete amplifier with the scattering (s) parameters. An annotated bibliography is included as an appendix.