Development of a Compact, 240-kV, 10-J Impulse Generator for Mobile Platforms

This paper presents the design and characterization of a compact, low-cost, battery-powered, high- voltage impulse generator intended to produce nanosecond pulses for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. This modular system was developed in-house at the Army Research Laboratory and it consists of a 14.8-V to 30-kV charger, a 30-kV to 240-kV, 10-J Marx generator circuit, and an output UWB antenna. Designing high-voltage electronic systems with an emphasis on reduced size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP), while also achieving high-energy storage and fast pulse delivery, is challenging. This paper discusses some of the challenges encountered in designing compact high voltage power sources, and it provides preliminary results for the impulse generator’s system performance.