High voltage nanosecond pulser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11159156-B2
Application number	US-202016903374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2020
Priority date	Nov 14, 2013
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A nanosecond pulser may include a plurality of switch modules, a transformer, and an output. Each of the plurality of switch modules may include one or more solid state switches. The transformer may include a core, at least one primary winding wound around at least a portion of the core, each of the plurality of switch modules may be coupled with the primary windings, and a plurality of secondary windings wound at least partially around a portion of the core. The output may output electrical pulses having a peak voltage greater than about 1 kilovolt and having a pulse width of less than about 1000 nanoseconds. The output may output electrical pulses having a peak voltage greater than about 5 kilovolts, a peak power greater than about 100 kilowatts, a pulse width between 10 nanoseconds and 1000 nanoseconds, a rise time less than about 50 nanoseconds, or some combination thereof.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A nanosecond pulser comprising:
a first plurality of switch modules, each of the first plurality of switch modules include one or more solid state switches;
a first toroid-shaped core comprising iron, manganese, and zinc;
a first primary winding that includes a first plurality of single windings that are each wound at least partially around a portion of the first toroid-shaped core, each of the first plurality of switch modules are electrically coupled with one of the first plurality of single windings;
a first secondary winding wound at least partially around a portion of the first toroid-shaped core; and
an output coupled with the first secondary windings the output providing an output pulse having a peak voltage greater than about 5 kilovolt.

2. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of secondary windings are wound around a portion of the second core.

3. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein the output pulse has a peak power greater than about 100 kilowatts.

4. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein the output pulse has a rise time less than about 50 nanoseconds.

5. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more solid state switches comprises a switch selected from the group consisting of an IGBT, an FET, an SiC junction transistor, and a MOSFET.

6. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , further comprising a first fast capacitor electrically coupled with the first primary winding and at least one of the first plurality of switch modules.

7. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 6 , wherein less than 50% of the energy in the first fast capacitor is drained during each electrical pulse.

8. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 6 , wherein the first fast capacitor has a stray inductance of less than 100 nH.

9. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of secondary windings have a stray inductance of less than 100 nH.

10. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of switch modules has a stray inductance of less than 100 nH.

11. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein stray inductance within the first plurality of switch modules and the first primary winding is less than 100 nH.

12. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein stray capacitance within the nanosecond pulser is less than about 100 pF.

13. A nanosecond pulser comprising:
a circuit board;
a transformer comprising:
a toroid-shaped transformer core comprising iron and MnZn;
a primary winding wrapped around the transformer core; and
a single continuous secondary winding wound around the core;

a solid state switching circuit electrically coupled with the primary winding; and
an output coupled with the single continuous secondary winding producing pulses greater than 5 kV.

14. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 13 , wherein a duration of opening and closing of the solid state switching circuit is directly proportional to a pulse width of an input pulse, and wherein an output pulse width from an output coupled with the plurality of secondary windings is directly proportional to the pulse width of the input pulse.

15. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of capacitors disposed on the circuit board, wherein each of the plurality of capacitors are disposed on the circuit board between the core and at least one of the plurality of solid state switches.

16. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of diodes disposed on the circuit board, wherein each of the plurality of diodes are disposed on the circuit board between the core and at least one of the plurality of solid state switches.

17. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 13 , wherein stray capacitance within the nanosecond pulser is less than about 100 pF.

18. A nanosecond pulser comprising:
a first solid state switch;
a second solid state switch;
a high voltage power source coupled with the first solid state switch and the second solid state switch;
an input electronically coupled with the first solid state switch and the second solid state switch, wherein the input provides an input pulse signal to the first solid state switch and the second solid state switch causing the first solid state switch and the second solid state switch to switch the high voltage power source with a pulse width less than 1,000 ns, and an input pulse repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz;
a transformer having a core, a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side is electronically coupled with the first solid state switch and the second solid state switch and the core comprises iron, manganese, and zinc; and
an output electrically coupled with the second side of the transformer, the output configured to produce an output voltage having a pulse peak voltage greater than about 5 kilovolts, a pulse width less than 1,000 ns, and an input pulse repetition frequency greater than 10 kHz.

19. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 18 , wherein the transformer comprises a plurality of primary windings, and a plurality of secondary windings, wherein the plurality of solid state switches are electrically coupled with the primary windings and the and the output is electrically coupled with the secondary windings.

20. The nanosecond pulser according to claim 1 , wherein the core comprises iron and MnZn.

Assignees

• Eagle Harbor Tech Inc

Inventors

• Miller Kenneth E
• Ziemba Timothy

Classifications

• H03K3/57 Primary

  the switching device being a semiconductor device · CPC title

• H03K17/56 Primary

  by the use, as active elements, of semiconductor devices (using diodes H03K17/74) · CPC title