Pulsed RF oscillations on a nonlinear capacitive transmission line

A nonlinear lumped element transmission line (NLETL) that consists of a nonlinear LC ladder network whose capacitors are nonlinear and inductors are linear can be used to produce oscillating pulses. This article describes the implementation of an oscillating pulse generator based on such high voltage nonlinear capacitive lines (NLCL) using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components. Instead of using complex pulse forming networks or pulse forming lines, a storage capacitor and a fast semiconductor switch are used to provide an input pulse onto the cascading LC-elements of the NLCL with good approximation of a rectangular pulse-shape. The design of the NLCL is based on the NLETL circuit model that was developed earlier in-house. Experimental results are compared with simulations predicted by this NLETL model. The voltage modulation and the frequency content of the output pulses are analyzed. The conventional single NLCL produces a signal with a DC offset and a decoupling capacitor is needed at the end of the line to extract the AC component before injecting onto a load such as an antenna. A novel method of directly extracting the AC component without the use of a decoupling capacitor is proposed and investigated. Results of this direct AC extraction, which show the possibility of better performance, are discussed. The frequency tunability of this nonlinear line was also demonstrated.