240 kJ/s and 120 kJ/s power supplies for high regulation, minimum unplanned downtime applications

Maxwell Laboratories, Inc. (MLI) has designed, delivered and tested power supplies rated at 240 kJ/s, 50 kV and 120 kJ/s, 30 kV to DLR for use in a high-power, pulsed CO/sub 2/ laser. The optical performance of this electron-beam sustained laser with an active volume of 20 liters and a transversal gas flow is strongly dependent on the shot-to-shot repeatability of the power supply(s). Testing of the power supplies was performed by operating the electron-beam and main discharge pulse forming networks (PFNs) into a resistive load at the maximum repetition-rate of the laser, 100 Hz, for the rated burst length of 1000 pulses. The PFN was switched using a rep-rate spark gap pressurized with compressed air to less than 3 atm of pressure. The regulation (shot-to-shot repeatability) of the 240 kJ/s supply operating at 40-45 kV was