Experiments and Simulations of a Compact UWB Pulse Generator Coupled to Different Antenna Structures

The objective of this study is to design a compact ultra wide band (UWB) high power radiating system and do some initial testing. The primary energy source used for this system is three batteries that deliver an input power of around 1 kW to the pulsed power unit. The high voltage unit generates voltage pulses with amplitudes close to 100 kV at a peak current level of 1 kA into a matched load, 100 Omega. The rise time of the voltage pulse is less than 1 ns and the maximum pulse repetition frequency of the unit is 1 kHz. In an attempt to maximize the radiated power out from this pulsed power system different types of antenna structures have been studied. The reference antenna in this study is a TEM-horn. A D-dot probe is used to measure the electrical field radiated from the antenna structure. A numerical model is created in the software Micro- Stripes and used to simulate the system. The simulated electrical field strength is compared to the measured signal from the experimental work. Radiation patterns and s-parameters are also discussed and presented in this paper.