Laser Triggered Chopped Wave Generator

A 200 kV DC SF6-insulated spark gap is triggered by an ultraviolet laser pulse (KrF, A = 249 nm) to chop a 3/10 ps impulse in less than 10 ns. By simply adjusting the internal delay of the laser, the pulse can be chopped anywhere on the front or on the tail, and at voltages as low as half of the spontaneous breakdown voltage of the gap. The shape and length of the waveform are precisely controlled, and jitter is reduced to less than 10 ns at 80% of the spontaneous breakdown voltage.