Development of a solid-state Marx Generator for Thyratron modulator replacement

The design of a solid-state Marx Generator prototype, based on SiC MOSFETs, for replacing existing Thyratron modulator technology, in particle accelerators, is described. As for Thyratrons, long-term availability is a concern. The final aim of the work is to develop a generator for output pulse specifications of 16 kV, 2.56 kA, 2μs flat top, 75 ns rise/fall-times and 1 Hz frequency. The preliminary results shown here are for approximately 2μs output pulse width, with about 3.2 kV and 2.7 KA amplitude, using a coaxial assembling solid-state Marx generator design, with four 800V stages and 24 SiC MOSFETs in parallel per stage. The scale up potential and constraints are discussed.