Limits and failure modes in high voltage Vector Inversion Generators

VIGs consist of two parallel plate transmission lines, wound on a mandrel and sharing a common conductor. They are a compact electrostatic energy storage device that can convert the stored energy into a traveling RF wave in a one component-one step process. In this paper, basic design equations that allow determination of the VIG erection time, the amount of energy stored in the unit, the amount of energy available at the output of the device and the restrictions on the value of the load impedance necessary for efficient energy transfer are discussed. We describe a method for determining the maximum current, I, and dI/dt that the two switches, low voltage input and high voltage output switch to the load, will see and the constraints imposed on the unit by these parameters. While the above parameters can be uniquely specified, great care must be taken in materials selection, precision winding technique, and insulation scheme to realize a unit that performs to its full potential. The limits on VIG technology as imposed by fundamental processes are discussed.