Study on a Long-Lifetime Solid-State Pulse-Forming Line Based on Glass–Ceramic Dielectric

As one of the key components of high-voltage pulse modulators, the pulse-forming lines (PFLs) are moving in the direction of compact, solid-state, and stable working for a relatively long time. In this paper, a long-lifetime PFL, based on a glass ceramic with high relative permittivity, is studied numerically and experimentally. Specifically, based on a designed low-impedance PFL, dimension parameters of the thick electrode coating on the surface of the glass–ceramic dielectric were optimized to decrease the edge electric field enhancement which could lead to local discharge and plasma generation. The PFL was developed and experimentally studied in our laboratory. With charging voltage of 35 kV approximately, pulses with peak current over 4.4 kA were obtained on a matched dummy load. Importantly, the device has been successfully working over 2.8 million pulses with a repetitive rate of 50 Hz, which is suitable for potential applications including plasma science research.