Reliable, High Repetition Rate Thyratron Grid Driver Used With A Magnetic Modulator [Book Chapter]

Conference · Fri Jun 14 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Eighth IEEE International Conference on Pulsed Power

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/ppc.1991.733444· OSTI ID:5462989

Hill, J. V. ^[1]; Ball, D. G. ^[1]; Garrett, D. N. ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

The Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) Program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory uses a magnetic modulator switched by a high voltage thyratron to drive a gas discharge laser. The thyratron trigger source must provide an extremely reliable, low jitter, high- rep-rate grid pulse. This paper describes a thyratron grid driver which delivers a 1.2 kV, 80 ns rise time grid pulse into a 50 ohm load at up to 4.5 kHz repetition rate and has demonstrated approximately 10,000 hours MTBF. Since the thyratron is used with a magnetic compression circuit having a delay time of 1.4 ms this grid driver incorporates a jitter compensation circuit to adjust the trigger timing of the thyratron to provide overall modulator/laser jitter of less than ±2 ns. The specific grid driver requirements will be discussed followed by a description of the circuit design and theory of operation. Construction comments will be followed by performance data (for a specific thyratron and magnetic compression circuit), including pulse shape, jitter, and lifetime.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5462989
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC--105815; CONF-910640--32; ON: DE91016558; ISBN: 0-7803-0177-3
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Eighth IEEE International Conference on Pulsed Power
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
COMPRESSION
DESIGN
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
GAS DISCHARGE TUBES
GAS LASERS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LASERS
MAGNETIC COMPRESSION
METAL VAPOR LASERS
MODULATION
PERFORMANCE
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SWITCHING CIRCUITS
THYRATRONS
TIMING CIRCUITS