A 10 kv Gate-Boosted Series-Connected MOSFETs with 2.5 ns Rise Time for Nanosecond Pulse Power Applications

High-voltage nanosecond pulse generators are essential for industrial applications that require fast, repetitive, and fully controllable pulses. However, the limited voltage rating of individual MOSFETs makes ultrafast high-voltage switching challenging. This paper presents a compact gate-boosted driver topology for series-connected MOSFETs. In the proposed approach, only the first MOSFET is directly driven, while the others are triggered through capacitive coupling enhanced by gate boosting, ensuring synchronized and ultrafast switching. An optimized switch and driver layout further improves the rise time and output pulse quality while minimizing switching losses. Simulation and experimental results confirm reliable operation for pulse durations of 20 ns and above, achieving a voltage rise time of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$2.8 ~\text{ns}(3.57 \text{kV}/\text{ns})$</tex> at 10 kV and 45.5 A, with a corresponding current rise time of 2.5 ns. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed topology for compact, ultrafast nanosecond pulse power applications.