A ceramic Blumlein transformer driver (CBTD) for a linear inductive voltage adder (LIVA)

Abstract

A first transformer driver, based on a Blumlein type annular plate line, has been built and tested with a resistive load by ITHPP Company. The dielectric material is made of many ceramic capacitors in pressurized dry air. The temporal pulse shape is quite interesting for radiography applications using LIVA accelerators. Another more compact driver is designed to be stacked along a tapered cathode stalk. In this latter, the dry air is replaced by an insulating resin. The expected voltage for an assembly of 160 modules is calculated by means of a transmission line code, which is fitted on the experimental results we get with the first transformer driver.