A pulse current generator for dense plasma focus

Abstract

A pulse current generator applied in a type of high-yield intense pulsed neutron source, the Dense Plasma Focus (DPF), is designed and developed in this paper. There are three key components in this generator. Each group of capacitors and switches is integrative to meet the DPF's requirements of low circuit inductance. A coaxial multi-channel switch is developed to solve the problems of the switch inductance, the jitter and the electrode erosion. A kind of sectorial plate transmission line is adopted to transfer the high pulse current from the capacitors to the DPF. The following technical parameters of the generator were achieved on dummy load: output current amplitude of ∼560 kA when primary capacitors are charged with 22 kV.