SBIR/STTR Award attributes
High power microwave (HPM) sources have conventionally been driven by gas-switched pulsed power generators due to high voltage, high current, and fast rise-time requirements. However, these traditional technologies impose significant limitations on advancements in HPM technology due to low repetition rate, short lifetime, limited waveshaping capabilities, and difficulty of synchronization. Solid-state technologies, however, make possible a new generation of pulsed power drivers with wide-ranging pulse widths, fast repetition rates, and a high degree of waveform agility particularly well-suited for HPM applications. A solid-state alternative to traditional HPM drivers was developed during Phase I of this SBIR effort utilizing (1) SARA’s ability to evaluate, test, and package state-of-the-art (SotA) silicon carbide (SiC) die into large pulsed power systems, and (2) GeneSiC’s ability to develop SotA SiC devices. Building upon the Phase I development effort, a next-generation pulsed power modulator leveraging SotA semiconductor devices and advanced system architecture will be designed, built, and evaluated during Phase II.
