Capacitor‐charging power supply for laser pulsers using a boost circuit

A capacitor‐charging circuit providing high‐voltage gain, inherent command‐charge capability, and high efficiency is proposed. It can be used in high average‐power laser pulsers as well as in thyratron trigger‐generator circuits at low‐power levels. It offers simple and compact means of varying the charging voltage on a capacitor. Unlike conventional command‐resonant chargers, where the cathode of the switch is floated at high potential, a high‐voltage switch is not required in the charging path in the proposed scheme. Operation of this circuit is described at 5 kHz with a voltage gain of 20.