Switching high-voltage pulses with subnanosecond fronts by an open-discharge pulse shaper

A new principle of switching high-voltage pulses with leading edge widths below 1 ns has been studied. The pulse shaper is based on an open-discharge device. It is demonstrated that, in a coaxial geometry, a minimum switching time as short as $\sim$0.65 ns can be achieved on an active load of $R_L$ = 50 $\Omega$ at a voltage of $U$ = 20 kV. The shaper is capable of operating at repetition frequencies up to 30 kHz.