Review of Solid-State Modulators

Solid-state modulators for pulsed power applications have been a goal since the first fast high-power semiconductor devices became available. Recent improvements in both the speed and peak power capabilities of semiconductor devices developed for the power conditioning and traction industries have led to a new generation of solid-state switched high power modulators with performance rivaling that of hard tube modulators and thyratron switched line-type modulators. These new solid-state devices offer the promise of higher efficiency and longer lifetimes at a time when availability of standard technologies is becoming questionable. A brief discussion of circuit topologies and solid-state devices is followed by examples of modulators currently in use or in test. This presentation is intended to give an overview of the current capabilities of solid-state modulators in various applications.