A Peaking Switch to Generate a High Voltage Pulse of Sub-nanosecond Rise Time

A triaxial Blumlein pulse forming line has been designed to generate a pulse whose voltage is ~300 kV, pulse duration is ~5 ns, and rise time is ~500 ps. It turns out, however, that the rise time of the pulse becomes much longer than 500 ps due to parasitic inductances and capacitances existing inside the system. A peaking switch has been developed to shorten the rise time of the pulse from Blumlein pulse forming line. In the peaking switch, a wedge-shaped dielectric material (MC 901 nylon) is employed to surround the electrode on the antenna side. This shape inhibits an abrupt change of the output impedance, thereby minimizing the reflection of the output pulse. Experimental results show that the peaking switch is capable of improving the rise time of the pulse at a level of 500 ps.