IGBT PEBB technology for future high energy physics machine operation applications

Terascale physics is driving the demand for innovative pulsed power modulators having greater compactness and better manufacturability with increasingly superior performance. A particularly promising route for such modulators is Marx-architecture based. Moreover, there is opportunity for improvement and gain of greater benefits through further development of topology and architecture, gate driver method, and control schemes. Prior work discussed a new concept of droop correction, which was the result of topology hybridisation using a nesting approach, and illustrated its great potential. This is further investigated here. This paper details various design aspects of a hybrid Marx cell Power Electronic Building Block (PEBB) and includes specifics about estimated losses and efficiency, thermal management issues, protection strategies, gate driver development, and control implementation. In addition, figures-of-merit of the cell design are given for comparison and evaluation purposes. Experimental results, based on both single-cell and three-cell hardware prototypes, are presented demonstrating the functionality and performance of the new topology. This is a significant milestone in the progression toward constructing a full 32-cell PEBB-based Marx klystron modulator with nested droop correction. Lessons learned during various stages of the prototype development and future directions are commented on.