A square-wave pulse generator with approximately 100 kV amplitude and kHz repetition rates

Flash x-ray radiotherapy is an emerging, promising technique for tumor treatment, and a Repetition-rate Linear Induction Accelerator (RLIA) is currently under development at the Institute of Fluid Physics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, for this purpose. To fulfill the demanding high-repetition-rate requirements of RLIA, this paper presents a compact pulse power scheme based on a hydrogen thyratron-driven tri-coaxial Blumlein pulse forming line, capable of delivering burst-mode square-wave pulses with tens of kilovolts amplitude, kilohertz repetition rates, and 100-ns pulse widths. The pulses are subsequently amplified via a custom-designed induction voltage adder to achieve an output of ∼100 kV, while preserving the kilohertz repetition rate and 100-ns pulse duration. Experimental results confirm the stable generation of high-quality square-wave pulses that meet the key specifications for driving an induction cavity in flash x-ray radiotherapy applications. The proposed system demonstrates a viable, high-performance solution for repetitive pulsed-power generation in advanced radiotherapy systems.