Improvements In Avalanche-Transistor Sweep Circuitry For Electrooptic Streak Cameras

S. W. Thomas; R. L. Griffith; W. R. McDonald

doi:10.1117/12.967896

1 February 1985 Improvements In Avalanche-Transistor Sweep Circuitry For Electrooptic Streak Cameras

S. W. Thomas, R. L. Griffith, W. R. McDonald

Proceedings Volume 0491, 16th Intl Congress on High Speed Photography and Photonics; (1985) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.967896
Event: 16th International Congress on High Speed Photography and Photonics, 1984, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

kVe have improved the performance of the avalanche-transistor deflector-driver (sweep) circuitry used in the high-speed, electrooptic streak camera at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In the previous design for the sweep circuit, trigger-to-output delay time drifted on some cameras. This delay drift is a function of a somewhat randomly unstable breakdown voltage of some avalanche transistors. I.oth temperature and differences in manufacturing ethods for transistors affect this instability. However, a sig-nificant improvement in system performance is achieved by long-term burn in and by selection of only the most stable transistors for the sweep circuit. The peak-to-peak sweep voltage has been increased about 8O by increasing the number of avalanche transistors in the string and raising the Q of the resonant circuit. The result is an improvement in sweep uniformity by a factor of appoximately 2. Design equations for selecting components are given. Fast-recovery diodes are used to prevent undershoot and to keep the beam out of the intensifier field of view until after the intensifier is gated off. The sweep time range has been extended to over 100 ns.

Citation Download Citation

S. W. Thomas, R. L. Griffith, and W. R. McDonald "Improvements In Avalanche-Transistor Sweep Circuitry For Electrooptic Streak Cameras", Proc. SPIE 0491, 16th Intl Congress on High Speed Photography and Photonics, (1 February 1985); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.967896

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