DEVELOPMENT OF SOLID-STATE DRIVERS FOR THE NIF PLASMA ELECTRODE POCKELS CELL

Conference · Wed May 14 04:00:00 EDT 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/IPMC.2008.4743591· OSTI ID:945652

Barbosa, F; Arnold, P A; McHale, G B; James, G; Brown, G; Cook, E G; Hickman, B C

Large aperture Plasma Electrode Pockels Cells (PEPC) are an enabling technology in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The Pockels cell allows the NIF laser to take advantage of multipass amplifier architecture, thus reducing costs and physical size of the facility. Each Pockels cell comprises four 40-cm x 40-cm apertures arranged in a 4 x 1 array. The combination of the Pockels cell and a thin-film polarizer, configured in a 4 x 1 array, form an optical switch that is key to achieving multi-pass operation. Solid-state Plasma Pulse Generators (PPGs) and high current high voltage solid-state Switch Pulse Generators (SPGs) have been developed for use in the PEPC. The solid-state plasma pulse generators initiate and maintain plasma within the cells; each pulser is capable of delivering 60J of energy to each plasma channel. Deployment of the solid-state PPGs has been completed in NIF. The MOSFET-switched SPG is capable of delivering a requisite fast rise time, 17kV flattop pulse to the cells nonlinear crystals. A complete software and hardware control system has been developed and is currently being tested for use on the solid-state SPGs. Also a transmission line modeling, development, and testing effort is in process, in support of NIFs Advanced Radiographic Capabilities (ARC). Work is scheduled for completion by the end of the calendar year.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 945652
• Report Number(s): LLNL-CONF-404057
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
AMPLIFIERS
APERTURES
ARCHITECTURE
CONTROL SYSTEMS
ELECTRODES
LASERS
POCKELS CELL
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
PULSE GENERATORS
PULSE RISE TIME
SIMULATION
SOLID-STATE PLASMA
TESTING
US NATIONAL IGNITION FACILITY