Adjustable non-dissipative voltage boosting snubber network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A power system comprising:
- a DC power supply supplying DC power to first and second rails having a voltage between the first and second rails;
a switching circuit receiving the DC power via the first and second rails and converting the DC power to a pulsed DC voltage, the pulsed DC voltage configured for application to a plasma load; and
a snubber circuit coupled to the first and second rails such that the voltage between the first and second rails falls across the snubber circuit, the snubber circuit comprising;
a first unidirectional switch configured to allow current to pass from the first rail;
a voltage multiplier coupled between the first unidirectional switch and the second rail, and configured to;
absorb and store energy from the DC power supply via the first unidirectional switch when an impedance seen by the switching circuit increases;
boost the voltage between the first and second rails by virtue of absorbing and storing the energy from the DC power supply;
then apply at least a portion of the stored energy to the switching circuit when the impedance seen by the switching circuit decreases and thereby decrease the voltage between the first and second rails; and
an electrical node between the first unidirectional switch and the voltage multiplier; and
a current limiter coupled between the electrical node and the first rail and limiting rises in current that the voltage multiplier discharges to the switching circuit.
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Abstract
This disclosure describes a non-dissipative snubber circuit configured to boost a voltage applied to a load after the load'"'"'s impedance rises rapidly. The voltage boost can thereby cause more rapid current ramping after a decrease in power delivery to the load which results from the load impedance rise. In particular, the snubber can comprise a combination of a unidirectional switch, a voltage multiplier, and a current limiter. In some cases, these components can be a diode, voltage doubler, and an inductor, respectively.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A power system comprising:
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a DC power supply supplying DC power to first and second rails having a voltage between the first and second rails; a switching circuit receiving the DC power via the first and second rails and converting the DC power to a pulsed DC voltage, the pulsed DC voltage configured for application to a plasma load; and a snubber circuit coupled to the first and second rails such that the voltage between the first and second rails falls across the snubber circuit, the snubber circuit comprising; a first unidirectional switch configured to allow current to pass from the first rail; a voltage multiplier coupled between the first unidirectional switch and the second rail, and configured to; absorb and store energy from the DC power supply via the first unidirectional switch when an impedance seen by the switching circuit increases; boost the voltage between the first and second rails by virtue of absorbing and storing the energy from the DC power supply; then apply at least a portion of the stored energy to the switching circuit when the impedance seen by the switching circuit decreases and thereby decrease the voltage between the first and second rails; and an electrical node between the first unidirectional switch and the voltage multiplier; and a current limiter coupled between the electrical node and the first rail and limiting rises in current that the voltage multiplier discharges to the switching circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification