Uneven temperature effect evaluation in high-power IGBT inverter legs and relative test platform design

This paper presents a high-power IGBT testing platform for uneven temperature conditions and its design criteria. Considering the influence of layout parasitic parameters on the measurement results, commutation rules and independent junction temperature control, a universal high-power switching characterization platform is built and operated. Importantly, it is capable of 3.6 kA current level test requirement, which can cover the largest current level for the state-of-the-art IGBT modules. To improve the test accuracy of double pulse test method, a compensation algorithm is proposed to eliminate the circuit power loss under high current test conditions. Moreover, in order to simulate the uneven junction temperature effects occurring in real life, the junction temperatures of inspected IGBT and freewheeling diode are controlled independently. Quantitative analyses of the switching characteristics for junction temperatures up to 125 °C are performed.     

Switching regimes of compact triggered vacuum gaps

Dynamic characteristics of compact vacuum gaps are studied. Experiments are performed in the microsecond range of current pulses with amplitudes ranging from 50 A to 5 kA and rates of rise ranging from 10⁹ to 10¹⁰ A/s at switching voltages ranging from 2 to 10 kV. The most stable operation of the gaps is reached when the cathode is triggered using positive pulses. The instability of the initial stage of burning of vacuum arc leads to an increase in the stabilization time of the main discharge. Electrical valve-like properties of compact gaps are manifested in the stable quenching of vacuum arc at a current attenuation rate of 0.5 kA/μs.     

Wavelength switching of picosecond pulses in a self-seededFabry-Perot semiconductor laser with external fiber Bragg gratingcavities by optical injection

All-optical wavelength switching of single-mode picosecond pulses was demonstrated in an optically gain-switched Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser with self-seeding from two uniform fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) or a linearly chirped FBG by injecting optical pulse trains with a peak power of ~1.0 mW at GHz repetition rates. Sidemode suppression ratio (SMSR) better than 17 dB was achieved in both wavelengths in the former case. Wavelength switching among three successive laser cavity modes was achieved in the latter case. A SMSR better than 15 dB was obtained at all three wavelengths. This laser has potential applications in remote optically controlled fiber sensors, such as temperature sensors     

Application of Reset Voltage Feedback for Droop Minimization in the Unidirectional Current Pulse Transformer

This paper investigates the application of reset voltage feedback for reducing errors due to droop in the signal derived from a current transformer sensing unidirectional current pulses in switched-mode power converter applications. Droop is minimised by applying a correcting voltage in series with the transformer's output terminals during the current pulse. The magnitude of the correcting voltage is based on the transformer's reset voltage sensed during the power converter's previous switching cycles. A model of the scheme is presented and a circuit is implemented. Reductions in both peak and average current droop are demonstrated.     

Equivalent pulse parameters for electroporation

Electroporation-based applications require the use of specific pulse parameters for a successful outcome. When recommended values of pulse parameters cannot be set, similar outcomes can be obtained by using equivalent pulse parameters. We determined the relations between the amplitude and duration/number of pulses resulting in the same fraction of electroporated cells. Pulse duration was varied from 150 ns to 100 ms, and the number of pulses from 1 to 128. Fura 2-AM was used to determine electroporation of cells to Ca(2+). With longer pulses or higher number of pulses, lower amplitudes are needed for the same fraction of electroporated cells. The expression derived from the model of electroporation could describe the measured data on the whole interval of pulse durations. In a narrower range (0.1-100 ms), less complex, logarithmic or power functions could be used instead. The relation between amplitude and number of pulses could best be described with a power function or an exponential function. We show that relatively simple two-parameter power or logarithmic functions are useful when equivalent pulse parameters for electroporation are sought. Such mathematical relations between pulse parameters can be important in planning of electroporation-based treatments, such as electrochemotherapy and nonthermal irreversible electroporation.     

The MAPS-40 burst-mode 40-kV megawatt average power hydrogen thyratron

A hydrogen thyratron capable of switching 40 kV and 40 kA in repetitive bursts at the 1-MW average power level is described. Major design problems were obtaining the necessary forward and inverse holdoff capability and controlling the thermal and mechanical effects of the several kilowatts of operating dissipation encountered at this power level. A conventional external anode, planar-electrode, ceramic-metal tube design was chosen to meet the design requirements, which include reliable, kickout-free operation following long periods of standby. Emission was provided by a large cathode specifically designed to handle ohmic heating due to the 1500 A of rms-equivalent pulse current, as well as the heat developed in the surrounding plasma. Massive auxiliary, control, and gradient grids were incorporated into a tightly baffled box-type grid structure of sufficient total aperture area to prevent quenching below 70-80 kA. Molybdenum wall shielding was employed to improve holdoff capability and prevent arc damage. Design and operating considerations are discussed and representative test results for the first 16 tubes are given, together with the results of special tests for high peak current, high average current, and high-voltage holdoff.     

高重复频率的增益开关Nd3+:YVO4+KTP绿光激光器

为了设计一种可连续和脉冲双模式输出的绿光激光器,采用一只半导体激光器端面抽运Nd3+:YVO4+KTP胶合晶体,通过腔内倍频,获得光-光转换效率为19%的连续绿光激光输出.利用增益开关技术,改变注入激光器的电脉冲波形,可得到方波、正弦波或三角波的绿光激光脉冲输出;调节激光器驱动电流的幅度和占空比可改变输出激光脉冲的强度和脉宽;改变驱动电源的重复频率可以使输出绿光激光脉冲的重复频率连续可调,最大重复频率可达2MHz.在重复频率为560kHz时,获得了输出绿光激光脉冲宽度为74ns、峰值功率为285mW、振幅噪声小于%.研究表明,利用增益开关技术可以获得重复频率和窄脉冲宽度的绿光激光脉冲.     

Multiwave Cherenkov generator with linearly polarized radiation

A multiwave Cherenkov generator with an asymmetric superdimensional slow-wave structure that generates the linearly polarized radiation is proposed and experimentally studied. The pulses of the linearly polarized radiation with a wavelength of 3.25 cm, a pulse duration of 30 ns, and a power of 850 MW are generated at electron energy of 470 keV and a beam current of 4.9 kA in a relatively weak magnetic field of 4.3 kG. It is demonstrated that the generation efficiency is 30% for almost Gaussian field distribution.     

Control algorithms and circuit designs for optimal flyback-chargingof an energy-storage capacitor (e.g., for flash lamp or defibrillator)

A flyback-type of a transformer-coupled DC/DC power converter supplies a train of current pulses to charge an energy-storage capacitor to a desired high voltage, converting input DC power obtained from a lower voltage DC source. The energy-storage capacitor is charged to a specified voltage within a specified time with minimum peak and RMS currents in the transistor, the rectifier diode, the transformer windings and the DC power source, minimizing the i²R losses. This is done by generating: (1) energy-storage current pulses in the power transistor and the transformer primary winding in which the current increment from the beginning to the end of a pulse is only a small fraction of the final (peak) value; and (2) energy-delivery flyback current pulses in the capacitor and the transformer secondary winding in which the current decrement from the beginning to the end of a pulse is only a small fraction of the initial (peak) value. Recommended methods are: (1) hysteretic current-mode control with current sensing in both transformer windings; (2) peak-current-commanding current-mode control with switching frequency or transistor-nonconducting time varying in a prescribed way during the charging; or (3) valley-current-commanding current-mode control with switching frequency or transistor-conducting time varying in a prescribed way during the charging. Compared with one nonoptimal method, peak currents are reduced by a factor of about 2 and i²R power losses are reduced by a factor of about 1.33     

Time-resolved switching characteristic of the nonlinear directionalcoupler under consideration of susceptibility dispersion

Two new forms of nonlinear coupled mode theory are presented which allow a quantitatively correct calculation of the temporal and spatial field evolution in a nonlinear coupler. The resultant set of coupled equations for the Fourier transforms of the pulse envelopes of the basis functions are numerically solved for representative coupling and excitation conditions. The approach permits the treatment of the power and time dependent switching characteristics of ultrashort pulses by accounting for the frequency dependence of the susceptibilities and coupling integrals. The results show that switching efficiency is low in the positive dispersion region due to pulse breakup. The pulse breakup can also be observed in the negative dispersion region, with pulses representing higher order solitons having a peak power on the order of the continuous-wave switching power     

Dual-wavelength ultrafast complete optical switching in apolarization-maintaining fiber

Complete optical switching of 2-30 ps signal pulses in the 0.83-1.0 μm wavelength range is demonstrated using 50 ps control pulses at 1.053 μm in an optical-fiber Kerr modulator/switch. This is achieved using an initial temporal offset between the pulses and group velocity dispersion to enable the fast pulse to walk-through the slow one. It is shown that a minimum switching power results when the initial offset is one-half of the relative group delay. As an important corollary, complete switching can occur with a control pulse shorter than the signal pulse     

Room-temperature, monolithic, electrically-pumped type-L quantum-well SB-based VCSELS emitting at 2.3 mm

An all-epitaxial monolithic vertical cavity surface emitting laser grown on GaSb substrate is presented. The structure is composed of two n-doped AlAsSb/GaSb distributed Bragg reflectors, a type-I GalnAsSb/AlGaAsSb multi-quantum-well active region and a tunnel junction. Quasi continuous-wave laser operation is demonstrated at 2.3 mum up to room temperature. Threshold current densities of 0.8 and 0.6 kA/cm^-2 are obtained at 300 and 280 K for 80 mum-diameter devices (1 mus pulses, 10% duty cycle). A peak output optical power of 2 mW was achieved at 280 K.     

A transcranial magnetic stimulator inducing near-rectangular pulses with controllable pulse width (cTMS)

A novel transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device with controllable pulse width (PW) and near-rectangular pulse shape (cTMS) is described. The cTMS device uses an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with appropriate snubbers to switch coil currents up to 6 kA, enabling PW control from 5 micros to over 100 micros. The near-rectangular induced electric field pulses use 2%-34% less energy and generate 67%-72% less coil heating compared to matched conventional cosine pulses. CTMS is used to stimulate rhesus monkey motor cortex in vivo with PWs of 20 to 100 micros, demonstrating the expected decrease of threshold pulse amplitude with increasing PW. The technological solutions used in the cTMS prototype can expand functionality, and reduce power consumption and coil heating in TMS, enhancing its research and therapeutic applications.     

High peak power and high repetition rate characteristics in acurrent-pulsed Q-switched CO2 laser with a mechanical shutter

An electro-mechanical Q-switched (EMQ) CO₂ laser is Q-switched by a mechanical beam chopper in combination with a pulsed discharge current. Such a system can produce pulses with high peak powers (>10 kW) and high repetition rates (>1 kpps). In order to analyze the output characteristics, the peak power and the duration of the output pulses have been measured experimentally in detail over a wide range of Q-switching times up to 250 ns. For a low-pressure (<4 kPa) CO₂ gas system, the standard rate equations adequately explain the experimental results by introducing a new switching function for the form of the cavity loss for the mechanical chopper. In an EMQ-laser with a high initial inversion density (4.5·10¹⁵ /cm³ at 150 mA peak current), multiple peak pulses or pulse distortion have been observed. This is due to the plasma screening effect induced by the burning of the metal shutter blades placed inside the cavity. It is found that tungsten metal shutter blades can be used up to a power density of 259 MW/cm² for a focused beam without this effect occurring, The solutions of the rate equations show that optimum coupling can prevent the plasma screening effect even for a Q-switching time longer than the pulse buildup time. The EMQ-laser configured for optimum coupling has produced a peak output power of 30 kW for the 9P20 transition branch in the CO₂ spectrum without any pulse distortion. This value has been obtained even though the discharge length was only 1.3 meters     

Low voltage firing characteristics of a triggered vacuum gap

The triggered vacuum gap is a normally nonconducting device in which a high-current metal-vapor arc can be established by a suitable pulse of current to a triggering electrode. While this gap is well suited to switching applications at high voltage, it has properties which make it useful at low voltage as well. The operation of the triggered vacuum gap has, therefore, been studied in the range 100 to 1000 volts. It was found that, although the gap could be triggered with currents as low as 0.02 amperes, consistent triggering with firing delays less than a microsecond required trigger pulses of 10 amperes or more. Little or no dependence of firing time on main gap voltage was observed. Below a few hundred volts, however, the probability of establishing a stable main discharge with a short duration trigger pulse falls off rapidly with decreasing gap voltage. The polarity of the main gap voltage and of the trigger pulse strongly influenced the firing characteristics of the gap in the range studied. These effects are discussed in detail.     

An experimental study on improvement of performance for hemispherically shaped high-power IRED's with Ga1-xAlxAs grown junctions

This paper describes the structure and performance of a high-power infrared emitting diode (IRED) designed as a high speed optical beam source for optoelectronic applications. The heterostructured junction is formed on a thick Ga1-xAlxAs liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) grown layer which is used to shape hemispherical emitting surfaces. Dislocation density in recombination region was considerably decreased by the thick layer growth on a GaAs wafer used as a primary substrate. Under dc operations, external quantum efficiencies of around 45 percent at a current density of 0.6 kA/cm²and about 110 mW of optical output power at 200 mA (1 kA/cm²) have been obtained from the diodes with a 160-µm junction diameter. The tendency to reach power saturation with increased current has been decreased by means of reducing of thermal resistance of the mount, and the diodes with 240- µm junction diameter have shown about 180 mW at 600 mA dc and 1.4 W at a 4-A pulse (60 Hz, 50 µs). A large improvement in high frequency response has been obtained and the bandwidth at -3-dB intensity has reached above 120 MHz.     

Coherent pulsed injection seeding of two gain-switchedsemiconductor lasers

High-power, narrow-spectrum, short pulses at a wavelength near 830 nm are needed for optical logic applications. The authors report the generation of two coherent trains of pulses by pulsed injection seeding of two gain-switched semiconductor lasers with one mode-locked master oscillator. The available power was doubled and both lasers emit in nearly identical spectral lines. Short pulses (30-50 ps) are generated at a repetition rate of 1.9 GHz. The spectrum is reduced to a single mode cluster and shows a 1.7 Å wide chirp suitable for pulse compression. The peak power is 0.1 W for each pulse train. The capability of this technique for coherent power combining is demonstrated     

All-optical Gbit/s switching using nonlinear optical loop mirror

The switching of a 20 Gbit/s pulse train at 2.5 Gbit/s in an all-fibre NOLM is demonstrated. An entirely semiconductor case powered configuration was used with a long loop (6.4 km) ensuring low power (10 mW) for the switching pulses.<>     

自由电子激光器的一些改进方案

自由电子激光器(FEL)能否充分发挥其优异特性而走向实用,最终将取决于器件能否小型化.作者对现有喇曼自由电子激光器的控制系统及加速器部分进行了改进,使其体积大为减小,并对小型化FEL的设想进行了总体布局.     

Study of the soft X-ray emission from carbon ions in a capillarydischarge

The soft X-ray emission from plasma produced in polyacetal and polyethylene capillary discharges excited by current pulses 100 ns full-width half-maximum (FWHM), 50 ns risetime, and peak currents up to 60 kA has been studied. Time-resolved spectra show that intense C _VI line emission dominates in the polyethylene discharges, peaking shortly after the maximum of the current and vanishing before the end of the current pulse. Polyacetal capillary spectra are dominated by O_VI lines and show weak C_VI emission. Plasma density and temperature for the polyethylene discharge were derived from the Stark broadening of C _VI Balmer lines and the relative intensities of C _VI and C_V lines. A short (5 ns FWHM) pulse of energetic beam electrons was detected in coincidence with the onset of the discharge