PVX-4150

The PVX-4150 pulse generator produces fast, high voltage wave forms to 1,500V. Optimized for high impedance capacitive loads, the PVX-4150 is well suited for driving extraction grids and deflection plates for electrostatic modulation of particle beams in time-of-flight mass spectrometers and accelerators. Its robust and versatile design also makes it well suited for pulsing or gating power tube grids, Pockels cells and Q Switches, acoustic transducers, microchannel plates, photomultiplier tubes and image intensifiers. The exceptional pulse fidelity of the PVX-4150 will optimize the performance of any system in which it is used.

The PVX-4150 generates an output voltage pulse of 1,500 volts with rise and fall times less than 25ns, with very flat voltage pulses to DC into a capacitive load. It can generate singled-ended output pulses from ground to +1500V or from ground to 1500V, and can also generate pulses originating from a DC voltage offset from ground by using both VLow and VHigh power supply inputs. This offset can be from 1500V to +1500V, with a maximum power supply voltage differential of £1500V.

The PVX-4150 requires a TTL gate signal, a high voltage DC power supply and optional DC offset supply inputs. The output pulse width and frequency are controlled by the gate signal. The pulse output voltage is controlled by the amplitude of the input DC power supplies. When the input gate is high, the VHIGH supply is connected to the output. When the input gate is low, the VLOW supply is connected to the output. Therefore the PVX-4150 can be used to generate a negative-going pulse by logically inverting the input gate, so that the input gate is high until the unit is pulsed. When the input gate goes low, the VLOW input supply is connected to the output, thereby generating a negative-going pulse.

The PVX-4150 features front panel indicator LEDs to monitor the status of the pulse generator. Front panel voltage and current monitors provide a straightforward means to view the output voltage and current waveforms in real-time, eliminating the need for an external high voltage oscilloscope probe.

The pulse generator is a direct-coupled, air-cooled solidstate half-bridge (totem pole) design, offering equally fast pulse rise and fall times, low power dissipation, and virtually no over-shoot, under-shoot or ringing. It has over-current detection and shut-down circuitry to protect the pulse generator from potential damage due to arcs and shorts in the load or interconnect cable. All control and protection logic circuitry, support power, energy storage and output network are incorporated into the PVX-4150. It can be connected directly to the load, and does not require series or shunt resistors, impedance-matching networks between the pulser and the load, or additional energy storage (capacitor banks). All of this is taken care of within the PVX-4150.