Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) development at Sandia national laboratory

Most of the modern high-current high-voltage pulsed power generators require several stages of pulse conditioning (pulse forming) to convert the multi-microsecond pulses of the Marx generator output to the 40–300 ns pulse required by a number of applications including x-ray radiography, pulsed high current linear accelerators, Z-pinch, Isentropic Compression (ICE), and Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) drivers. This makes the devices large, cumbersome to operate, and expensive. Sandia, in collaboration with a number of other institutions, is developing a new paradigm in pulsed power technology; the Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology. This technological approach can provide very compact devices that can deliver very fast high current and high voltage pulses. The output pulse rise time and width can be easily tailored to the specific application needs. Trains of a large number of high current pulses can be produced with variable inter-pulse separation from nanoseconds to milliseconds. Most importantly, these devices can be rep-rated to frequencies only limited by the capacitor specifications (usually is 10Hz). Their footprint as compared with current day pulsed power accelerators is considerably smaller since LTD do not require large oil and de-ionized water tanks. This makes them ideally fit for applications that require portability. In the present paper we present Sandia Laboratory's broad spectrum of developmental effort to design construct and extensively validate the LTD pulsed power technology.