Nonlinear transmission line high voltage pulse sharpening with energy recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11515864-B2
Application number	US-202117461946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2021
Priority date	Sep 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

Some embodiments include a nonlinear transmission line system comprising: a power supply providing voltages greater than 100 V; a high frequency switch electrically coupled with the power supply; a nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the switch; an antenna electrically coupled with the nonlinear transmission line; and an energy recovery circuit comprising a diode and an inductor electrically coupled with the power supply and the antenna.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A nonlinear transmission line system comprising:
a power supply providing voltages greater than 100 V;
a switch electrically coupled with the power supply;
a nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the switch;
a first diode coupled with the nonlinear transmission line;
a capacitor coupled with the first diode, the capacitor filters high frequency pulses from the nonlinear transmission line;
a load electrically coupled with the capacitor; and
an energy recovery circuit comprising an energy recovery diode and an inductor, the energy recovery circuit electrically coupled with the power supply and a circuit point between the first diode and the capacitor.

2. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery circuit is in parallel with the nonlinear transmission line.

3. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein the load radiates RF energy.

4. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein some energy from the nonlinear transmission line that is not radiated by the antenna is recovered to the power supply.

5. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery diode is positioned to allow energy to flow from the antenna and/or the nonlinear transmission line to the power supply.

6. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply comprises an energy storage capacitor.

7. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , further comprising a second power supply and a second switch, wherein the energy recovery circuit charges the second power supply.

8. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 1 , wherein the switch switches with a pulse repetition frequency greater than about 1 kHz.

9. A nonlinear transmission line system comprising:
an energy storage capacitor;
a high voltage switch electrically coupled with the energy storage capacitor that produces high voltage pulses with a voltage greater than about 1 kV;
a nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the high voltage switch;
a first diode coupled with the nonlinear transmission line;
a filter coupled with the first diode, the filter filters high frequency pulses from the nonlinear transmission line;
a load electrically coupled with the nonlinear transmission line; and
an energy recovery circuit comprising a diode and an inductor, the energy recovery circuit is electrically coupled with the energy storage capacitor and the load.

10. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 9 , wherein the high voltage switch comprises a nanosecond pulser.

11. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 9 , wherein the load is an antenna that radiates RF energy.

12. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 9 , wherein the high voltage switch switches with a pulse repetition frequency greater than about 1 kHz.

13. A nonlinear transmission line system comprising:
a nanosecond pulser that produces pulses with voltages greater than about 1 kV and a pulse repetition frequency greater than about 1 kHz;
a nonlinear transmission line electrically coupled with the high voltage switch that produces an RF signal on the pulses;
a first diode coupled with the nonlinear transmission line;
an antenna electrically coupled with the first diode that radiates RF energy from the pulses with the RF signal; and
an energy recovery circuit comprising a diode and an inductor electrically coupled with the nanosecond pulser energy and the antenna.

14. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 13 , wherein the nonlinear transmission line produces an RF signal on the pulses.

15. The nonlinear transmission line system according to claim 13 , wherein the high voltage switch comprises a nanosecond pulser.

Assignees

• Eagle Harbor Tech Inc

Inventors

• Prager James R
• Ziemba Timothy M
• Bowman Chris
• Miller Kenneth E

Classifications

• H03H11/02

  Multiple-port networks · CPC title

• H03K3/57 Primary

  the switching device being a semiconductor device · CPC title

• H03K5/12 Primary

  by steepening leading or trailing edges · CPC title

• H03K3/53 Primary

  by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal and not incorporating positive feedback (H03K3/335 takes precedence) · CPC title