Study on a rotational symmetry structure pulse forming network with low-impedance for compact pulse drivers

A pulse forming network (PFN) is a significant component, contributing a lot to the overall dimension of pulse generators. In order to both reduce the size of PFN and improve the output waveform quality, this paper proposes a compact low-impedance PFN with a rotational symmetry structure. The PFN consists of four groups of Blumlein pulse forming units (PFUs) connected in parallel along the angular direction, and the spline curve structure is applied in each PFU, which achieves a higher space utilization rate. The theoretical maximum energy density of PFN is 6.6 J/L as the dimensions of PFN are φ500 × 138 mm. Field-circuit co-simulation is carried out based on the spatial model of PFN and the double switch modulation circuit to analyze the effects of switch delay time (time between main switch and steep discharge switch), as well as the output port position affecting the output pulse waveform. The results show that the PFN is appropriate to achieve quasi-square wave pulse modulation as the switch delay time is 290 ns with the output port positioned at the periphery. The verification experiments are also carried out. The results show that the PFN can generate a quasi-square wave pulse with an output voltage of 49.6 kV, a pulse width of 83 ns, and a peak power of 1 GW on a matched load. The output pulse exhibits a distinct flat top, with the fluctuation of the plateau being less than 3%.