Excitation system for generating a fast pulsed high-voltage discharge, particularly for exciting a high-power laser

US4635267A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Hans-Jurgen Cirkel · Erlangen, DE
• Willi Bette · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 1983
• Grant date: Jan 6, 1987
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2003

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H03K3/53
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An excitation system for generating a fast pulsed high-voltage discharge into a load, especially for exciting a high-power laser, by an arc-free capacitor discharge which is as homogeneous as possible. The system includes a laser chamber wherein two laser electrodes are oppositely located and spaced from one another, and extending parallel to an optical axis of the laser chamber; and a high voltage supply unit; a pulse forming network which further includes, in a shunt branch connected in series with the stripline capacitors, at least one fast high-voltage switching element, which, due to its activation the high-voltage pulses are generated at the laser electrodes. The fast high-voltage switching element is formed as a saturable magnetic reactor having a magnetizing current which makes the reactor go into saturation if the charging voltage at the stripline capacitors has come into the vicinity of the peak thereof, and wherein the shunt branch of the laser chamber includes a series circuit containing a respective stripline capacitor and the laser chamber itself.