Nonlinear Transmission Line High Voltage Pulse Sharpening

• US 20180102770A1
• Filed: 04/04/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EHT Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Eagle Harbor Technolologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Prager, James R., Ziemba, Timothy M., Miller, Kenneth E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,027,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/02 Multiple-port networks
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 5/12 by steepening leading or trailing edges

Abstract

Some embodiments include a high voltage nonlinear transmission line that includes a high voltage input configured to receive electrical pulses having a first peak voltage that is greater than 5 kV having a first rise time; a plurality of circuit elements electrically coupled with ground, each of the plurality of circuit elements includes a resistor and a nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; a plurality of inductors, at least one of the plurality of inductors is electrically coupled between two circuit elements of the plurality of circuit elements; and a high voltage output providing a second peak voltage with a second rise time that is faster than the first rise time.

Claims

1. A high voltage nonlinear transmission line comprising:

a high voltage input configured to receive electrical pulses having a first peak voltage that is greater than 5 kV having a first rise time;

a plurality of circuit elements, each of the plurality of circuit elements having a resistor and a nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a plurality of inductors, at least one of the plurality of inductors is electrically coupled between two circuit elements of the plurality of circuit elements; and

a high voltage output providing a second peak voltage with a second rise time that is faster than the first rise time.

2. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein the second peak voltage is substantially the same as the first peak voltage.

3. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of inductors has an inductance of less than about 500 nH.

4. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of resistors have a resistance of less than about 1000 ohms.

5. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance devices have an inductance of less than about 100 nH.

6. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance devices comprise a diode.

7. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance devices have a capacitance that changes nonlinearly with voltage.

8. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of circuit elements comprises at least 10 circuit elements.

9. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein each of the nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance devices comprises a plurality of nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance devices arranged in parallel and/or series.

10. The high voltage nonlinear transmission line according to claim 1, wherein the nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device has a capacitance less than 5 nF.

11. A nonlinear transmission line comprising:

a high voltage input configured to receive electrical pulses having a first peak voltage that is greater than 5 kV having a first rise time;

a first circuit element electrically coupled with the high voltage input, the first circuit element comprising;

a first nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a first resistor electrically coupled in series with the first nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

and first inductor;

a second circuit element electrically coupled with the first inductor, the second circuit element comprising;

a second nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a second resistor electrically coupled in series with the second nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a second inductor

a third circuit element electrically coupled with the second inductor, the third circuit element comprising;

a third nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a third resistor electrically coupled in series with the third nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a third inductor;

a fourth circuit element electrically coupled with the third inductor, the fourth circuit element comprising;

a fourth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a fourth resistor electrically coupled in series with the fourth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a fourth inductor;

a fifth circuit element electrically coupled with the fourth inductor, the fifth circuit element comprising;

a fifth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device;

a fifth resistor electrically coupled in series with the fifth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a fifth inductor; and

a high voltage output providing a second peak voltage with a second rise time that is faster than the first rise time, the high voltage output electrically coupled with the fifth inductor.

12. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein the first resistor, the second resistor, the third resistor, the fourth resistor, and the fifth resistor have substantially the same resistance.

13. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein at least two of the first resistor, the second resistor, the third resistor, the fourth resistor, and the fifth resistor have different resistance.

14. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein the first inductor, the second inductor, the third inductor, the fourth inductor, and the fifth inductor have substantially the same inductance.

15. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein at least two of the first inductor, the second inductor, the third inductor, the fourth inductor, and the fifth inductor have different inductance.

16. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein the first nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device, the second nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device, the third nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device, the fourth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device, and/or the fifth nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device each have a stray inductance of less than about 100 nH.

17. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein the first inductor, the second inductor, the third inductor, the fourth inductor, and the fifth inductor each have an inductance of less than about 500 nH.

18. The nonlinear transmission line according to claim 11, wherein the first resistor, the second resistor, the third resistor, the fourth resistor, and the fifth resistor each have a resistance of less than about 1000 ohms.

19. A high voltage device comprising:

a high voltage input configured to receive electrical pulses having a first peak voltage that is greater than 5 kV having a first rise time;

a first nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the high voltage input, the first nonlinear transmission line comprising;

a first plurality of circuit elements, each of the first plurality of circuit elements having a resistor and a nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a first plurality of inductors, at least one of the first plurality of inductors is electrically coupled between two circuit elements of the first plurality of circuit elements;

a second nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the first nonlinear transmission line, the second nonlinear transmission line comprising;

a second plurality of circuit elements, each of the second plurality of circuit elements having a resistor and a nonlinear semiconductor junction capacitance device; and

a second plurality of inductors, at least one of the second plurality of inductors is electrically coupled between two circuit elements of the second plurality of circuit elements; and

a high voltage output electrically coupled with either or both the first nonlinear transmission line and the second nonlinear transmission line, the high voltage output providing a second peak voltage with a second rise time that is faster than the first rise time.

20. The high voltage device according to claim 19, wherein the first nonlinear transmission line is coupled in series with the second nonlinear transmission line.

21. The high voltage device according to claim 19, wherein the first nonlinear transmission line is coupled in parallel with the second nonlinear transmission line.