Megahertz high voltage pulse generator suitable for capacitive load

Abstract

A high voltage pulse generator is presented to drive Pockels cell. The Pockels cell behaves like a capacitor which slows the rise/fall time of the pulse and restrains the repetition rate of the generator. To drive the Pockels cell applied in quantum communication system, it requires about 1 MHz repetition rate with the rise/fall time of the pulse less than 50 ns, adjustable amplitude up to 800 V and an adjustable duration. With the assistance of self-designed transformers, the circuits is simplified that a pair of high current radio frequency (RF) MOSFET drivers are employed to switch the power MOSFETs at a high speed, and the power MOSFETs shape the final output pulse with the requirements. From the tests, the generator can produce 800 V square pulses continously at 1 MHz rate with 46 ns in risetime and 31 ns in falltime when driving a 51 pF capacitive load. And the generator is now used to drive Pockels cell for encoding the polarization of photons.