Method of and apparatus for increasing the peak output pulse power delivered by capacitor-driven high-power diode and square-loop saturable reactor pulse compression generators with the aid of minority carrier sweep-out circuits within the pulse compression circuit

1. In a radio-frequency pulse generator comprising a capacitor voltage-discharge-driven series-connected high power solid-state diode and square loop saturable magnetic reactor series-resonant pulse compression circuit for delivering high voltage pulses to a load such as an antenna tuned to said radio frequency, a method of removing limitations on the use of the full voltage rating of said capacitor and thus on the peak power output of said pulse compression circuit caused by minority carrier charge stored in the solid-state diode junction at the time of reverse current saturation of said reactor during the series resonance of said circuit, that comprises, interposing a minority carrier sweep-out circuit in the pulse compression circuit; and adjusting the sweep-out circuit to produce a time of recovery of said diode less than said time of reverse current saturation of said reactor, thereby to eliminate said limitations and to permit the use of the full voltage rating of said capacitor to enable the increasing of said peak power output.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said interposing comprises connecting a diode-resistor circuit in shunt across the pulse compression circuit from the point of series connection of said solid-state diode and said reactor.

3. A radio-frequency pulse generator apparatus having, in combination, a triggerable capacitor voltage-discharge circuit; a series-resonant high power solid-state diode and square-loop saturable magnetic reactor pulse compression circuit connected to be energized by the discharge of said capacitor circuit and to produce opposite polarity reactor saturation during the series resonance; an output load connected to the pulse compression circuit and tuned to the radio frequency of the series resonance thereof; a diode minority carrier sweep-out circuit interposed in the pulse compression circuit; the sweep-out circuit being adjusted to enable a time of recovery of said diode after conduction that is less than the time of reverse current saturation of said reactor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the minority carrier sweep-out circuit comprises a series-connected diode and resistance connected in shunt across the pulse compression circuit from the point of series connection of said high power solid-state diode and said saturable reactor.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said output load is an antenna tuned to the radio frequency of said series resonance of the pulse compression circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the pulse compression circuit is connected to said antenna by a radio-frequency step-up transformer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said apparatus is a Loran-C radio frequency transmitter in which said series resonance and output antenna tuning are both at a radio frequency of substantially 100 kHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said Loran-C transmitter further comprises a first SCR-triggerable capacitor d.c. charging circuit connected to a second SCR-triggerable saturable reactor charging circuit for energizing said capacitor voltage-discharge circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said sweep-out circuit is adjusted to enable recovery of the high-voltage diode at about 272 μsec. after the start of the pulse generating, and the time of the reverse or negative square-loop magnetic reactor saturation is at about 276.5 μsec.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the time of the forward or positive reactor saturation is about 265 μsec.