Affordable short pulse Marx modulator

Funded through a U.S. Department of Energy grant, Diversified Technologies, Inc. (DTI) has developed a novel solid-state Marx modulator for short pulses. The Marx has highly efficient outputs from 100 kV to 500 kV for currents as high as 250 A, pulse lengths from 0.2 to 5.0 μs, and rise times less than 300 ns. The effort was driven by a need for a highly modular/scalable topology combining low cost with simple manufacture. This topology provides short pulses with excellent risetimes and flattop control not typically seen in hard switch or transformer-coupled topologies.