Affordable, short pulse Marx modulator

Under a U.S. Department of Energy grant, Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) is developing a short pulse, solid-state Marx modulator (Fig. 1). The modulator is designed for high efficiency in the 100 kV to 500 kV range, for currents up to 500 A, pulse lengths of 0.2 to 5.0 μs, and risetimes <;300 ns. Key objectives of the development effort are modularity and scalability, combined with low cost and ease of manufacture. For short-pulse modulators, this Marx topology provides a means to achieve fast risetimes and flattop control that are not available with hard switch or transformer-coupled topologies.