A 600 Volt Multi-Stage, High Repetition Rate GaN FET Switch

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-voltage, multi-stage GaN FET switch capable of 2 ns rise times and near 30 MHz switching rates, suitable for particle beam applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 600V three-stage GaN FET switch design with detailed engineering insights and performance evaluation.

Findings

Achieved 2 ns rise time at 600V

Supported 30 MHz switching rates

Demonstrated suitability for particle beam applications

Abstract

Using recently available GaN FETs, a 600 Volt three-stage, multi-FET switch has been developed having 2 nanosecond rise time driving a 200 Ohm load with the potential of approaching 30 MHz average switching rates. Possible applications include driving particle beam choppers kicking bunch-by-bunch and beam deflectors where the rise time needs to be custom tailored. This paper reports on the engineering issues addressed, the design approach taken and some performance results of this switch.