Compact, Repetitive Nanosecond Pulse Generation for Industrial Applications: the Advance of the Solid-State Impedance Matched Marx Generator

In this contribution we will present our work on fast, compact, repetitive, high-voltage nanosecond pulse generation for industrial applications at Eindhoven University of Technology. We mainly focus on our work on the solid-state Impedance-matched Marx Generator (IMG). Based on the topology of the IMG presented in 2017 by researchers from Sandia (and others), we created a solid-state IMG using MOSFET switches. The advantage of using the IMG topology is that by using transmission lines to transmit the pulses from the Marx stages, the rise time of the pulses can be maintained at the output waveform (when carefully impedance-matched). By designing the Marx stages very compactly and using fast semiconductor components, adjustable pulses with rise times of just several nanoseconds are feasible with this topology. Since we require such fast rising pulses for transient plasma generation, the solid-state IMG is ideally suited for our purpose. In this contribution we present our prototypes thus far (going up to 30 kV) - including plasma experiments with those sources - and our plans for >100kV versions, together with the topic of flexible pulse generation in large generators. For such large generators, the physical size of the generator becomes detrimental to flexible pulse generation (because this violates one of the matching criteria). Beyond presenting the state-of-the-art, we will present future research lines on three different versions of the solid-state IMG at voltage levels of 200 kV, 300 kV and 700 kV.