Physical Review Special Topics. Accelerators and Beams (May 2009)

Development and tests of fast 1-MA linear transformer driver stages

  • A. A. Kim,
  • M. G. Mazarakis,
  • V. A. Sinebryukhov,
  • B. M. Kovalchuk,
  • V. A. Visir,
  • S. N. Volkov,
  • F. Bayol,
  • A. N. Bastrikov,
  • V. G. Durakov,
  • S. V. Frolov,
  • V. M. Alexeenko,
  • D. H. McDaniel,
  • W. E. Fowler,
  • K. LeChien,
  • C. Olson,
  • W. A. Stygar,
  • K. W. Struve,
  • J. Porter,
  • R. M. Gilgenbach

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.12.050402
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 5
p. 050402

Abstract

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In this article we present the design and test results of the most powerful, fast linear transformer driver (LTD) stage developed to date. This 1-MA LTD stage consists of 40 parallel RLC (resistor R, inductor L, and capacitor C) circuits called “bricks” that are triggered simultaneously; it is able to deliver ∼1 MA current pulse with a rise time of ∼100 ns into the ∼0.1-Ohm matched load. The electrical behavior of the stage can be predicted by using a simple RLC circuit, thus simplifying the designing of various LTD-based accelerators. Five 1-MA LTD stages assembled in series into a module have been successfully tested with both resistive and vacuum electron-beam diode loads.