Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
George Repucci
Senior Applications
Engineer
Nanosecond SCR Switch for Reliable High
Current Pulse Generators and Modulators
Design requirements for modulator high current replacements for Capacitor C is charged to 300 Volts
and pulse generator circuits include avalanche transistors, modulators, through the load resistor RL, (or its
fast rise time, low jitter to enhance and harmonic wave form generators. equivalent circuit impedance) and
short radar or laser ranging DC supply resistor RC. The string of
applications, low power With minimum circuitry, these SCRs are triggered on by a pulse
consumption of the switching devices may be series stacked to applied through the primary of T1.
components, reliability and stability provide increased forward blocking The SCR string turns on if the
over operating conditions. capability. A simple application that positive applied pulse to the gate is
provides up to 300 Volt forward of sufficient amplitude to trigger the
Several new applications for blocking is illustrated in Figure 1. SCR on. At SCR turn-on, capacitor
nanosecond SCR switches include C discharges through the low
automotive collision avoidance Voltage sharing (see figure 1), is impedance On-state of the SCR
systems, laser drivers, photo flash accomplished by placing a 1 meg- string. This action induces a negative-
quenching circuits, specially ohm resistor across the anode-to- going current pulse to the load RL.
developed circuits for the emerging cathode of each SCR device in the Diode DR across the load is used to
digital imaging range finders and series string. In practice, the parallel quench any parasitic inductive
communication markets. resistor is chosen to equalize the induced ringing in the circuit from
steady-state voltage division. The appearing across the load. The value
The nanosecond SCR switch shunt resistor eliminates the need for of RC is chosen to insure that anode
(thyristor), allows the designer to tight matching of SCR forward current to the SCRs is below the
upgrade high current, high voltage blocking over the operating range. holding current, IH of the string.
modulators and pulse generator
circuitry. A single device like the
military grade metal can GA201A or Figure 1 +300V DC
I
voltages up to 100 Volts DC and
pulsed load current in excess of 50
50
SCR2
1M
+
Amperes. These high-speed thyristor
switches can be triggered directly I
DR RL
from logic level signals (1 Volt, 200 50
SCR1
micro-amps) and all exhibit a rise + + 1M
www. .com 1
This allows the SCR string to reset
(revert to the Off-state), and to be +350V DC
2 www. .com
trigger pulse. When the load contains from a D-C power supply through When the load resistance is matched
an inductive component as is usually an appropriate load. In the case of to the cable (RL = Zo), the reflected
the case in modulator circuits., the the coaxial line type PFN the surge wave terminates the pulse current
network can be designed to ring in impedance of the cable is and for this matched condition the
order to reverse-bias the SCR string pulse voltage is equal to V/2.
momentarily, permitting the SCRs to Zo = Lo / Co
regain forward blocking capability A charging reactor, or the first
even if RC allows more than the Lo is the inductance of the cable and inductor in the PFN (see figure 2
minimum holding current to flow. Co is the capacitance of the cable. If and 3), normally isolates the high
Diode DR, may be used in all the cable is charged to a voltage (V) discharge currents from the power
circuits so that the recharge current and is discharged through a supply. This initial charging reactor
will not flow through the output resistance (RL), a current is also important in preventing
element. In Figures 2 and 3, DR proportional to the voltage and current flow immediately following
shunts the reverse ringing current inversely proportional to the sum of the pulse interval.
around the output element. Diode the load resistor RL and cable
DC, must be used in circuits that impedance Zo flows through RL. Because of their low profile,
contain inductive elements to protect The pulse current is sustained by a economic utility, and high reliability,
the string from being excessively voltage wave (V RL x I) which the Powermite UPGA301A is
back-biased due to circuit ringing. travels into the cable with a velocity uniquely suited to range finder
The design of the pulse-forming- proportional to the coaxial line length circuitry and flash tube quench
network PFN, must meet the and inversely proportional to the control applications in digital
minimum requirements for square root of the product of Lo x cameras. The basic circuit shown in
efficiency. These include the need Co. The wave will reflect at the far figure 4 is a typical illustration of the
for a high-voltage square pulses with end of the cable, then return after UPGA301A applied to flash tube
minimum droop between the leading time (T). The return time is double quench circuitry.
and trailing edge. The selection of the inverse of the square root of the
the inductance L, and capacitance C, product Lo x Co. The current in the
components may be by selecting load is reduced slightly, (this is the
individual components or by cut-in droop between the leading edge and
coaxial line elements. In both cases trailing edge of the wave form).
the PFN represents an artificial
transmission line which is charged
Figure 4
+300V DC
Trigger
Transformer
RQL
Strobe UPGA301A
Flash I Tube
Control Proximity
Circuit Trigger Quench
Lead Control
Circuit
UPGA301A
www. .com 3