Electrical pulse generator

Abstract

To provide an apparatus capable of generating, with high reproducibility, a pulse current that exhibits a high current peak in a short period of time.SOLUTION: An electrical pulse generator includes a load circuit section arranged so that an output voltage from a high voltage source can be applied to the load circuit section. The load circuit section has a switching element connected in series to an object to be energized, a capacitor, and a diode, and forms a first closed circuit, which is a series circuit including the capacitor, the object to be energized, and the switching element, when the switching element is in a conductive state. The anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the diode are each connected to two points on the first closed circuit. When the switching element is made to transition from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor is in a charged state, the connection point between the cathode terminal and the first closed circuit is arranged electrically closer to the high potential side terminal of the capacitor than the connection point between the anode terminal and the first closed circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric pulse generator that applies an electric pulse to an object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a pulse generating circuit has been used as a means for lighting a flash lamp (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A flash lamp is a lamp that is mainly used as a heating light source, emitting light ranging from the visible range to the infrared range and irradiating an object with this light to heat the object. When a current is supplied to this lamp, the lamp emits an amount of light according to the waveform of the supplied current. Therefore, by controlling this current waveform, particularly the pulse width, it is possible to control the heating depth of the object. For example, by appropriately controlling the pulse width and peak value of the current waveform, it is possible to heat only the surface layer of the object while suppressing thermal damage to the object.

[0004] The above technology can be applied to heating a substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing process. A substrate is formed by stacking a plurality of semiconductor layers and insulating layers on top of a base wafer. For example, when forming a semiconductor layer, an annealing process is performed to diffuse doped impurities. A flash lamp is used during this annealing process. By appropriately controlling the waveform of the current supplied to the flash lamp, it is possible to selectively heat only the semiconductor layer formed on the surface of the substrate without causing damage to the inside of the substrate.

[0005] In recent years, miniaturization and high integration of semiconductor products have progressed. In order to increase the integration of semiconductor products, many thin films are stacked. For this reason, there is an increasing demand for a technology that can control the heating of only the thin films as the role of the flash lamp. This is because if the portions other than the surface layer are heated, the layers formed at positions deeper than the surface layer will be heated multiple times by repeating the formation of layers and the heating process thereafter, which may affect the quality of the semiconductor. From this perspective, a method of reducing the irradiation pulse width of light from a flash lamp is known as a method of controlling the heating of only an extremely shallow surface of the heated object.

[0006] The technology of selectively heating the vicinity of the surface of an object can also be applied when recycling layered materials.

[0007] Electrical appliances such as communication terminal devices and home appliances that are no longer in use may contain usable resources. From the viewpoint of resource conservation, such electrical appliances that are no longer in use are required to be collected by businesses, disassembled and dismantled for recycling. Traditionally, this type of work has often been done by disassembling manually or physically dismantling using a crusher. However, such work requires a lot of manpower, and the quality of the dismantled parts tends to be low, resulting in a low recycling rate.

[0008] Waste to be recycled includes those in which an insulating material or semiconductor is laminated onto a conductive material such as a metal. More specific examples include composite materials in which an organic material is applied to a metallic material, composite materials in which a paint is applied to a metallic material, composite materials in which an insulating material is attached or vapor-deposited onto a metallic material, and the like.

[0009] As mentioned above, waste materials made of composite materials including metal materials can be recycled by crushing them, burning them, and separating and extracting the necessary metals from the resulting combustion ash. However, this method can result in metals being denatured into metal compounds or alloys, which requires further processing, and also results in a large amount of CO2 emissions during combustion, which is problematic in terms of environmental impact. In the case of the wet method, the extracted materials are subjected to chemical processing such as electrolysis, ion exchange, and chemical reactions, but high-purity materials are not separated and recovered from the beginning, which results in a large energy burden.

[0010] From the above viewpoint, a method has been proposed in which a lamp is indirectly used to heat a specific object, and the lighting pulse width of the lamp is shortened to selectively heat the object (see Patent Document 1 below).As another example, a method has been proposed in which a pulse voltage is directly applied to the object to be recycled, instead of indirectly using a lamp, to selectively heat and dismantle the object (see Patent Document 2 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-197024 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6857363 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] Patent Document 1 describes that efforts are being made to shorten the lighting pulse width of flash lamps in order to reduce the energy input to the lamp, reduce the power supply, etc. It also describes that short-pulse light is required in fields other than semiconductor annealing, such as modifying the surface of ceramic thin films and adhesive fixing of optical components by photocuring.

[0013] However, Patent Document 1 does not make detailed mention of short pulses. It is considered that short-time light irradiation of an object, in other words, short-time energy supply, is important in order to prevent the object from having a heating history. By short-time energy supply, it becomes possible to selectively raise the temperature of only the surface of the object (the side receiving the energy). On the other hand, in order to achieve the purpose of surface treatment of the object, etc., it is necessary to supply a sufficient amount of energy. In order to achieve the desired treatment in a short time, it is necessary to increase the energy per unit time, which may lead to excessive heating of the object and damage to the lamp.

[0014] The technology described in Patent Document 2 is to separate the positive metal foil constituting the battery from the active material bonded to the foil surface by appropriately passing a pulse current through the current-carrying object, which is a positive metal foil constituting the battery. In other words, in the technology described in Patent Document 2, it is important to control the input energy to the binder, which is the heating object, by supplying a high peak current to the current-carrying object. This is exactly the same idea as the heating by the lamp mentioned above. However, there is a technical difficulty in realizing a power supply device that can generate a high pulse current in a short time with good reproducibility. Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not disclose a power supply device that can generate a high pulse current in a short time with good reproducibility.

[0015] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric pulse generator that can generate, with high reproducibility, a pulse current that exhibits a high current peak in a short period of time in order to selectively heat the vicinity of the surface of an object to be heated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The electric pulse generating device according to the present invention is a device for applying an electric pulse to an electric current application object, a high voltage source and a load circuit section arranged to be able to apply an output voltage from the high voltage source; The load circuit section includes: The current passing object; A switching element connected in series to the current-carrying object; a capacitor disposed in a position capable of being charged based on an output voltage from the high voltage source when the high voltage source and the load circuit unit are electrically connected; a diode including an anode terminal and a cathode terminal; the load circuit unit forms a first closed circuit, which is a series circuit including the capacitor, the current-carrying object, and the switching element, when the switching element is in a conductive state; The anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the diode are each connected to two points on the first closed circuit, The present invention is characterized in that, at a point in time when the switching element is transitioned from a non-conducting state to a conducting state while the capacitor is in a charged state, the connection point between the cathode terminal and the first closed circuit is positioned electrically closer to the high potential side terminal of the capacitor than the connection point between the anode terminal and the first closed circuit.

[0017] The load circuit section includes a capacitor, a switching element, and a diode. The switching element is connected in series with the object to be energized, and the capacitor is disposed in a position where it can be charged based on a voltage from a high-voltage source. When the switching element is in a conductive state, the load circuit section forms a series circuit (first closed circuit) including the capacitor, the object to be energized, and the switching element.

[0018] By connecting the high voltage source and the load circuit with the switching element in a non-conducting state, the capacitor is charged by the voltage from the high voltage source. After that, by conducting the switching element with the high voltage source and the load circuit in a disconnected state, a high current derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor is supplied to the current-carrying object via the switching element. Since the current flows immediately after the switching element is turned on, this current exhibits a pulse shape.

[0019] Furthermore, as described above, the load circuit section is provided with a diode. This diode is arranged such that, when the switching element is transitioned from a non-conductive state to a conductive state under a state in which the capacitor is charged, the connection point between the cathode terminal and the first closed circuit is electrically closer to the high potential terminal of the capacitor than the connection point between the anode terminal and the first closed circuit. In other words, when the switching element is turned on to pass a high current to the current-carrying object under a state in which the capacitor is charged, after the current derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor flows to the current-carrying object, the current bypasses the capacitor and flows through the diode. As a result, after the switching element is turned on, the capacitor does not transition from the charged state of the capacitor immediately before the switching element is turned on to a charged state of reverse polarity. In other words, the flow of an oscillating current whose polarity changes is suppressed in the first closed circuit. This means that the time during which a current is supplied to the current-carrying object can be shortened, in other words, the pulse width of the current flowing to the current-carrying object can be shortened.

[0020] As a specific example, if a diode is not provided, the current waveform will be an alternating current (AC) with a damped oscillation over a period of, for example, several milliseconds. However, by adding a diode, this becomes a single pulse, and the overall period of current supply can also be reduced.

[0021] The electric pulse generator can be applied to a flash lamp, for example. The effect of supplying a pulse current to a flash lamp using the electric pulse generator according to the present invention will be described below in comparison with the case where a conventional electric pulse generator is used.

[0022] Fig. 25 is a circuit diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional electric pulse generator used to light a flash lamp. As shown in Fig. 25, a conventional electric pulse generator 100 includes a high voltage source 95 and a load circuit section to which the voltage generated from the high voltage source 95 is applied. More specifically, the load circuit section is formed of a closed circuit U100 including a capacitor 91, a mechanical switch 92, and a current-carrying object 90. In this example, the current-carrying object 90 corresponds to a flash lamp. The mechanical switch 92 is a switch that switches between current-carrying and non-current-carrying by mechanical contact, but may be a gap switch.

[0023] 25 is provided for the purpose of switching the connection state between the high voltage source 95 and the capacitor 91. When the switching element 96 is turned on, the capacitor 91 starts to charge with the voltage output from the high voltage source 95. When the charging of the capacitor 91 is completed, the switching element 96 is turned off and the mechanical switch 92 is turned on, so that a high current derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor 91 is supplied to the current-passing object 90.

[0024] However, in the case of the electric pulse generator 100 shown in Fig. 25, an AC current (damped oscillatory current) actually flows for a time of about several tens of ms to 100 ms to the current supply object 90. This point will be described later in the section "Mode for carrying out the invention" with reference to Fig. 8.

[0025] That is, when a pulse current is supplied to the current-passing object 90 using the electric pulse generator 100 shown in FIG. 25, a current showing a damped oscillation waveform is actually supplied to the current-passing object 90. This means that when the current-passing object 90 is a flash lamp, the flash lamp irradiates the heating object with heating light (light with a wavelength absorbed by the heating object) for a certain length (the above-mentioned several tens of ms to 100 ms). As a result, heat energy is supplied not only to the surface layer of the heating object, but also in the depth direction. When the heating object is a wafer including a semiconductor layer, layers other than the outermost surface are also heated, which may affect the quality of the semiconductor.

[0026] Furthermore, if the electrified object 90 is a flash lamp, passing too high a current may damage the lamp. In order to selectively heat the surface of the heated object using a flash lamp, a high peak current may be supplied to the lamp for a short period of time to cause the lamp to discharge and emit light for a short period of time. For this purpose, it may seem that a high voltage source capable of generating and discharging a high voltage of, for example, the order of kV may simply be prepared. However, by providing a high current to the lamp, which is the electrified object, the brightness irradiated on the heated object becomes too high, which may cause the thin film of the heated object to be destroyed or evaporated due to excessive heating.

[0027] Next, a case will be described in which a current-carrying object and another member are separated from a composite member formed by contacting and integrating a current-carrying object as a conductive material with another member by supplying a pulse current to the current-carrying object. For example, in order to separate and dismantle a first member, which is a thin-film conductor, from a second member made of a material with a lower conductivity than the first member, it is necessary to pass a current as high as possible near the interface between the first member and the second member to instantaneously heat the region and reduce the adhesive force between the first member and the second member. By passing a current (short pulse current) for a short period of time through the first member, it is possible to raise the temperature of the shallow surface layer of the joint with the second member before the conductor melts, and melt the adhesive in the region of the second member, particularly the region close to the first member. In addition, as a secondary effect, by increasing the frequency of the current, the skin effect, in which the current flows selectively on the surface of the conductor, can also be utilized. By utilizing a high-frequency current, it is possible to pass a high current intensively near the surface of the first member, in other words, near the interface between the first member and the second member, and instantaneously heat the region. From this perspective, it is preferable to supply a pulse current to the current-carrying object.

[0028] Examples of the material of the first member include conductive materials such as copper, aluminum, iron, nickel, or alloys thereof, while examples of the material of the second member include organic materials such as resins and paints, metal oxides, or insulating materials or semiconductors that are mixtures of these.

[0029] In other words, in order to reduce the adhesive strength between the first member and the second member, it is necessary to pass a high current at a high frequency near the interface between the first member and the second member. Considering only this point, it may seem that it would be sufficient to simply prepare a high voltage source capable of generating a high voltage of, for example, the order of kilovolts.

[0030] However, if the voltage applied to the current-carrying object is too high, the thin-film conductive portion of the current-carrying object may be excessively heated and destroyed or evaporated. This is thought to be because too much energy is supplied to the current-carrying object, and in this case, it cannot be said that the first member and the second member have been separated.

[0031] In the above, problems that may arise when an electric pulse generator is used in both a lighting circuit for a flash lamp and when it is used to heat a layered composite material have been described. The input energy is defined as a value obtained by integrating electric power over time. According to the electric pulse generator of the present invention, the time during which energy is supplied to the object to be heated can be set to a short and appropriate value, so that energy can be supplied to a limited range of the object to be heated and damage to both the heated object and the object to be energized can be suppressed.

[0032] The switching elements constituting the load circuit section may be made of semiconductor elements.

[0033] As described above, when a switching element is turned on to pass a current resulting from a high voltage charged in a capacitor to an object to be energized, a high current flows instantaneously through the switching element. If the switching element is a mechanical element, the contacts of the switching element may wear out, causing the internal resistance of the switching element to change over time, and in some cases, opening and closing control may become impossible. For this reason, when different energized objects are continuously dismantled, the accuracy of dismantling may decrease over time.

[0034] In contrast, by forming the switching elements from semiconductor elements as described above, deterioration and wear over time are suppressed.

[0035] Typically, a thyristor exhibiting high voltage resistance, a high-voltage IGBT, or the like can be used as the semiconductor element.

[0036] a load current flowing through the current-carrying object when the high voltage source and the load circuit unit are electrically connected includes a peak current and a ringing current that flows after the peak current and is less than 10% of a current value of the peak current, The load current may be configured to substantially taper off without changing polarity between the time when the peak current occurs and the time when the ringing current occurs.

[0037] Preferably, the load current has a main pulse width, which is the time width from the occurrence timing of the peak current to the occurrence timing of the ringing current, of 1.2 ms or less. With this configuration, the time during which a current is supplied to an object to be energized becomes extremely short.

[0038] the load circuit section includes an inductor, The first closed circuit may be a series circuit including the capacitor, the current-carrying object, the switching element, and the inductor.

[0039] The load circuit section may be configured to form a second closed circuit, after the capacitor is discharged, that includes the diode, the inductor, and the current-carrying object connected in series, but does not include the capacitor.

[0040] The load circuit section may form a second closed circuit, after the capacitor is discharged, that includes the diode and the inductor connected in series and does not include the capacitor or the current-carrying object. Effect of the Invention

[0041] According to the dismantling device of the present invention, the range of voltage applied to the high voltage source, which is necessary to maintain a high recovery rate of resources contained in the objects, can be expanded more than ever before. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] 1 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an electric pulse generator according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a flash lamp as an object to be energized; [Diagram 3]1 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a composite structure in which an object to be electrically conducted and an object to be heated are integrated. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of a cross-sectional view of a composite structure in which an object to be electrically conducted and an object to be heated are integrated. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for installing an electric current passing object. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic diagram of an electric pulse generating device according to a reference example. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing the operating principle of an electric pulse generating device according to a reference example. [Figure 7B] FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing the operating principle of an electric pulse generating device according to a reference example. [Figure 7C] FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram showing the operating principle of an electric pulse generating device according to a reference example. [Figure 8] 11 is a graph showing an example of the behavior of a current flowing through an object after a switching element is turned on in the electric pulse generator of the reference example. [Figure 9A] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mode in which excessive heat is supplied to an object to be heated when a current flows through the object for a long period of time. [Figure 9B] 11 is another diagram showing a schematic diagram of a state in which excessive heat is supplied to an object to be heated when a current flowing through the object to be energized becomes long. [Figure 10A] 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 10B] 1 is a circuit diagram showing the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 11] 9 is a graph showing an example of the behavior of a current flowing through an electric current object after a switching element is turned on in the electric pulse generator of the first embodiment, in which the graph of FIG. 8 is also shown. [Figure 12] 10B. FIG. 10C is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the first embodiment, and is illustrated following the example of FIG. 10B. [Figure 13]10B. FIG. 10C is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the first embodiment, and is illustrated following the example of FIG. 10B. [Figure 14] 10B. FIG. 10C is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the first embodiment, and is illustrated following the example of FIG. 10B. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic diagram of an electric pulse generator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16A] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16B] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] 12 is a graph showing an example of the behavior of a current flowing through an object to be energized after a switching element is turned on in an electric pulse generator of the second embodiment, in which the graph of FIG. 11 is also shown. [Figure 18] FIG. 16C is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the second embodiment, shown following the example of FIG. 16B. [Figure 19] FIG. 16C is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the second embodiment, shown following the example of FIG. 16B. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a circuit block diagram illustrating an electric pulse generator according to a third embodiment. [Figure 21A] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a third embodiment. [Figure 21B] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the operation principle of an electric pulse generator according to a third embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 21B is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the third embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 23] FIG. 21B is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 24]FIG. 21B is a circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section included in the electric pulse generator of the third embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 25] FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic diagram of a conventional electric pulse generator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] Each embodiment of the electric pulse generator of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the following drawings are schematic illustrations. Also, the circuits illustrated in each drawing are examples, and the scope of the present invention includes circuits equivalent to the illustrated circuits.

[0044] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric pulse generator according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the electric pulse generator 1 includes a high voltage source 5 and a load circuit section 2. The high voltage source 5 is a voltage source capable of outputting a voltage on the order of kV.

[0045] The electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment includes a switching element 6 that switches between electrical connection / disconnection between the high voltage source 5 and the load circuit section 2. Although the switching element 6 is illustrated in Fig. 1 as being provided outside the high voltage source 5, it may be provided inside the high voltage source 5.

[0046] The load circuit section 2 included in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment includes a capacitor 11, a switching element 13, a diode 15, an inductor 17, and an electric current supplying object 3. When the electric pulse generator 1 is used to heat an object (object to be heated), the object to be heated may be integrated with the electric current supplying object 3, or the electric current supplying object 3 and the object to be heated may be located apart from each other. This point will be described later.

[0047] Capacitor 11 is arranged so as to be chargeable based on the output voltage from high voltage source 5 when switching element 6 is rendered conductive, electrically connecting high voltage source 5 and load circuit section 2. Capacitor 11 has a structure capable of charging a voltage on the order of kV.

[0048] The switching element 13 is connected in series with the current-carrying object 3. When the switching element 13 is turned on, a series circuit (first closed circuit U1) is formed including the capacitor 11, the current-carrying object 3, the switching element 13, and the inductor 17. The switching element 13 is composed of a semiconductor element, and is typically a thyristor or an IGBT.

[0049] When the switching element 13 is a thyristor, the switching element 13 is ON / OFF controlled based on a gate signal. In detail, once a signal voltage as a gate signal is applied between the gate terminal and the cathode terminal, the thyristor is thereafter brought into a conductive state.

[0050] The diode 15 has a cathode terminal connected to the first closed circuit U1 at a connection point P1, and an anode terminal connected to the first closed circuit U1 at a connection point P2. Here, the relationship between the connection points P1 and P2 is as follows: When the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the connection point P1 is electrically closer to the high potential side terminal of the capacitor 11 than the connection point P2.

[0051] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an embodiment in which the current-carrying object 3 is a flash lamp. As shown in Fig. 2, the flash lamp 7 includes an arc tube 23 made of quartz glass or the like, and a pair of electrodes (21, 22). A gas such as xenon is sealed inside the arc tube 23. The electric pulse generator 1 supplies an electric pulse to the flash lamp 7 as the current-carrying object 3, more specifically, between the pair of electrodes (21, 22), causing the flash lamp 7 to emit light for a short period of time. A high energy of, for example, 5 kJ is supplied to the flash lamp 7.

[0052] Light L7 from the flash lamp 7 is irradiated onto the object 30 to be heated. This light L7 is absorbed by the surface region 31 of the object 30 to be heated, thereby heating the surface region 31. For example, in a manufacturing process of a solar cell made of laminated organic materials, the surface of the organic layer as the object 30 to be heated can be heated by using the light L7 from the flash lamp 7. Specifically, a thin film of about 1 μm or less on the surface of the object 30 to be heated can be instantaneously heated to an extremely high temperature of about 800° C. With regard to the electric pulse supplied from the electric pulse generator 1 to the flash lamp 7, the pulse width and current value can be appropriately controlled, thereby making it possible to selectively heat only the surface region 31 of the object 30 to be heated.

[0053] 3 is an example of a cross-sectional view that shows a composite structure of metal and insulating material as an example in which the current-carrying object 3 and the heating object 30 are integrated. The composite structure 4 shown in FIG. 3 includes a metal plate 41 as the current-carrying object 3, and constituent materials 43 and 45 as the heating object 30. When an electric pulse is supplied to the metal plate 41 as the current-carrying object 3 by the electric pulse generator 1, the current-carrying object 3 is heated by (current) 2 × (resistance value R of metal plate 41), and the heat is transferred to object to be heated 30. As a result, object to be heated 30 and object to be energized 3 are separated from each other. In this embodiment, a part of the load circuit section 2 is configured by a composite structure 4 in which object to be energized 3 and object to be heated 30 are integrated.

[0054] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the method of transmitting energy to the object 30 to be heated is different, but the concept of transferring energy to a limited area is essentially the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0055] That is, as described above with reference to Fig. 2, when the object 3 to be energized is a flash lamp 7, a short pulse of energy is supplied to the flash lamp 7, and light from the flash lamp 7 is supplied to the object to be heated 30. Also, as described above with reference to Fig. 3, when the object 3 to be energized is a composite structure 4, a short pulse of energy is supplied to a metal plate 41 included in the composite structure 4, and heat from the metal plate 41 is supplied to the object to be heated 30. Thus, although the embodiment of Fig. 2 and the embodiment of Fig. 3 differ in that the means of energy transmission is light or heat, the two are essentially the same in terms of the technology for heating the surface of the object to be heated 30.

[0056] 4 is an example of a cross-sectional view that shows a composite structure of a metal and an insulating material as an example in which a current-carrying object 3 and a heating object 30 are integrated together. For example, when the composite structure 4 is a solar cell, as shown in FIG. 4, the composite structure 4 includes an upper metal electrode 47, an organic thin film layer 48, and a transparent electrode 49.

[0057] For example, in the manufacturing process of a solar cell, moderate heating of a shallow region of the interface of the organic thin film layer 48 melts the organic thin film layer 48, and the adhesion between the upper metal electrode 47 and the organic thin film layer 48 is improved. The increased adhesion between the two leads to a decrease in the contact resistance at the interface and an increase in mechanical strength. However, if the organic thin film layer 48 is heated to a deep region, the deep region will melt, which is expected to have an adverse effect on the function of the solar cell itself.

[0058] In addition, for example, when a short pulse of high energy is supplied to the upper metal electrode 47 of a used solar cell, the organic thin film layer 48 is peeled off from the upper metal electrode 47. This makes it possible to recover the metal contained in the upper metal electrode 47 and use it for recycling.

[0059] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a part of the load circuit section 2 is configured by a composite structure 4 in which an object to be energized 3 and an object to be heated 30 are integrated together.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, the composite structure 4 may be placed on the circuit in a state where it is immersed in the conductive solution 55. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the composite structure 4 cut to an appropriate size is immersed in the solution 55 while being accommodated in a container 56 having an opening on the periphery. An electric pulse is then supplied into the solution 55 via a pair of electrodes (51, 52). By applying a very high voltage from the pair of electrodes (51, 52), electricity flows through the metal plate 41 of the composite structure 4 via the conductive solution 55. This heats the vicinity of the interface between the metal plate 41 and the heating object 30 (constituent material 43 and constituent material 45) shown in FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the combined resistance component of the metal plate 41 and the conductive solution 55 corresponds to the current-passing object 3. The solution 55 is also included in the heating object 30 as a result. In other words, the conductive solution 55 serves both as the current-passing object 3 and the heating object 30, and constitutes a part of the load circuit unit 2.

[0061] Before describing the operating principle of the electric pulse generator 1 shown in FIG. 1, the operating principle of an electric pulse generator 71 of a reference example shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

[0062] Fig. 6 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric pulse generator 71 as a reference example, following the example of Fig. 1. A load circuit section 72 included in the electric pulse generator 71 shown in Fig. 6 differs from the electric pulse generator 1 shown in Fig. 1 in that it does not include a diode 15 and an inductor 17. That is, in the load circuit section 72 shown in Fig. 6, when the switching element 13 is rendered conductive, a series circuit (closed circuit U70) including the capacitor 11 and the current-passing object 3 is formed.

[0063] When starting up the electric pulse generator 71, first, the switching element 6 is made conductive to charge the capacitor 11 based on the output voltage from the high voltage source 5 (see FIG. 7A). At this time, the switching element 13 is made non-conductive so that the high voltage source 5 and the current-passing object 3 are not conductive.

[0064] When charging of capacitor 11 is completed, switching element 6 is made non-conductive to release the electrical connection between high voltage source 5 and load circuit section 72. Then, switching element 13 is made conductive to pass a current resulting from the charging voltage of capacitor 11 through current passing object 3 (see FIG. 7B).

[0065] As described above, the high voltage source 5 is a voltage source capable of outputting a voltage on the order of kV, and the capacitor 11 is also configured to be capable of charging a voltage on the order of kV. Therefore, when the switching element 13 is brought into a conductive state, a high load current iZ resulting from the voltage on the order of kV instantaneously flows through the current-carrying object 3 via the switching element 13.

[0066] As described above with reference to FIG. 2, when the object 3 to be energized is a flash lamp 7, a current flows between a pair of electrodes (21, 22) while the gas enclosed in the arc tube 23 becomes plasma. The plasma-excited gas simultaneously emits light L7 of a specific wavelength. At this time, from the viewpoint of increasing the efficiency of plasma generation, it is important to pass a high current in an extremely short time, that is, to increase the amount of current increase per unit time. As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the light L7 emitted from the flash lamp 7 reaches the object 30 to be heated, and its surface region 31 is heated.

[0067] Furthermore, as described above with reference to Fig. 3, for example, when the current-carrying object 3 is a composite structure 4 formed by stacking multiple layers, the current-carrying object 3 heats itself due to the instantaneous flow of a high current, and this heat is transferred to the heating object 30. The current iZ also has an advantageous high frequency, and due to the skin effect, it may flow locally near the surface layer of the conductor included in the current-carrying object 3 (metal plate 41 in the example of Fig. 3). In a short period of time, the temperature of the interfaces of the multiple layers constituting the composite structure 4 rises rapidly, and the interfaces between the two are locally heated and destroyed, and the two are separated.

[0068] Incidentally, the discharge current flowing from capacitor 11 shown in FIG. 7B flows into capacitor 11, and capacitor 11 starts charging with reverse polarity. Thereafter, when charging of capacitor 11 is completed, a reverse current iZ flows through current-carrying object 3 due to the charging voltage of capacitor 11 (see FIG. 7C). In this way, an oscillating current continues to flow through current-carrying object 3 while reversing polarity. The period of this oscillating current is determined by the capacitance component of capacitor 11 and the parasitic inductance component present on the circuit in closed circuit U70, as shown in the following formula. The period of oscillation is fixed. 1 / period = frequency f = 1 / (2π√(L / C)) C: Capacitive component L: Inductive component In addition, the absolute value of the current iZ decreases over time due to Joule heat and the like caused by the internal resistance of the closed circuit U70.

[0069] Fig. 8 is an example of a graph showing the behavior of the current iZ flowing through the current passing object 3 and the voltage across the current passing object 3 after the switching element 13 is turned on after the capacitor 11 is completely charged by the output voltage from the high voltage source 5 using the electric pulse generator 71 as the reference example shown in Fig. 6. According to Fig. 8, a current flows through the current passing object 3 for a period of about several ms. The circuit conditions in Fig. 8 are as follows, and this is a reference example in which the current passing object 3 is a flash lamp. Inductance component (same as inductor 17 in Figure 1): 12 μH Resistance of electrified object 3: 50mΩ Capacitor 11 capacitance: 400μF Charging voltage of capacitor 11: 4000V

[0070] 8, the time that a current flows through the current passage object 3 is at most several ms, which is sufficiently shorter than one second. For this reason, it seems that an instantaneous current flows through the current passage object 3 also in the electric pulse generator 71 of the reference example. However, the present inventors conceived that if the pulse width of the current could be narrowed further than that of the electric pulse generator 71, the following would be possible.

[0071] (1) When the object 3 to be energized is a flash lamp 7, the light emission efficiency of the flash lamp 7 is increased by shortening the pulse width, and the heating control of the surface region 31 of the object 30 to be heated is improved.

[0072] Conversely, if the time that the current iZ flows through the flash lamp 7 is increased, the efficiency of plasma generation decreases and the time that light is irradiated onto the object to be heated 30 also increases. As a result, as shown by the hatched area in Fig. 9A, heat reaches not only the surface region 31 of the object to be heated 30 but also the lower layer 32 located deeper than the surface region 31, causing heating. As a result, there is a risk that damage will occur to the lower layer 32 (see Fig. 9A).

[0073] (2) When the object 3 to be electrified is a composite structure 4, the controllability of heating the object 30 to be heated can be improved by setting the pulse width to a short value, thereby increasing the separation efficiency.

[0074] Conversely, if the current iZ flows through the composite structure 4 for a long time, a part of the metal plate 41 may become excessively heated, break off, and evaporate (metal plate parts 41a, 41b), and may adhere to or become mixed with the detached component material 43a, making it unsuitable for reuse (see FIG. 9B).

[0075] As described above, in this embodiment, the switching element 13 is a semiconductor element. As described above, in consideration of the fact that the discharge current from the capacitor 11 charged by a voltage of the order of kV through the high voltage source 5 flows instantaneously through the switching element 13, if the switching element 13 is a mechanical switch, the contacts may wear out and the resistance of the contacts may increase with the use of the electric pulse generator 1 over time. Ideally, the value of the current peak is determined by the resistance value of the current-carrying object 3 (current peak value=supplied high voltage / resistance value of the current-carrying object 3). However, if the resistance value increases due to wear of the contacts, the sum of the resistance value of the current-carrying object 3 and the resistance value of the current-carrying object 3 is calculated as the overall resistance value, and the peak value of the pulse current decreases. This is not preferable from the viewpoint of reproducibility of the energy amount of the electric pulse, which is one of the problems described in the present invention. In consideration of long-term use of the electric pulse generator 1, it is preferable that the switching element 13 is a semiconductor element.

[0076] 1, the load circuit section 2 includes an inductor 17. However, it is also possible to use a parasitic inductance that exists in the closed circuit without including the inductor 17.

[0077] As described above, the maximum allowable value for the current rise speed (ΔI / Δt) may be specified as a rated value for a semiconductor switch that can be used as the switching element 13. If a current that is too steep flows through the semiconductor switch, the current may not be able to diffuse in time inside the semiconductor junction, causing the current to concentrate locally and causing the semiconductor switch to heat up and be destroyed. From this perspective, the maximum allowable value for the current rise speed may be set.

[0078] In order to reduce the rising speed of this current, it is effective to intentionally insert an inductor 17 as shown in Figure 1. By adopting a semiconductor switch, it is possible to output an electric pulse with high reproducibility and little change over time, while by inserting the inductor 17, a trade-off occurs in which the slope of the increase in the current pulse is reduced. In order to achieve both the provision of a reproducible electric pulse and the shortening of the period for providing energy, which is the object of the present invention, it is preferable to further devise an electric pulse generating circuit. This will be described below. In the following drawings, only the load circuit section 2 in Figure 1 is shown as appropriate.

[0079] As with the electric pulse generator 71 of the reference example, when charging of the capacitor 11 is completed, the switching element 13 is rendered conductive (see FIG. 10A) in order to pass a current iZ derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor 11 to the current passing object 3. When the switching element 13 is rendered conductive, a current iZ derived from a voltage on the order of kV instantaneously flows through the current passing object 3 via the switching element 13.

[0080] As described above, the load circuit section 2 of the electric pulse generator 1 includes the diode 15. When the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the connection point P1 of the cathode terminal of the diode 15 is electrically closer to the high potential side terminal of the capacitor 11 than the connection point P2 of the anode terminal. Therefore, the current iZ that has flowed through the current passing object 3 bypasses the capacitor 11 and flows through the diode 15 (see FIG. 10B). In other words, after the capacitor 11 is discharged, the diode 15, the inductor 17, and the current passing object 3 are connected in series to form a second closed circuit U2 that does not include the capacitor 11.

[0081] In other words, unlike the electric pulse generator 71 of the reference example, according to the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment, the capacitor 11 does not charge with the opposite polarity again, and therefore the time during which the current iZ flows through the object 3 to be energized is significantly shortened.

[0082] 11 is an example of a graph showing the behavior of the current iZ flowing through the current passing object 3 and the voltage across the current passing object 3 after the switching element 13 is turned on after the capacitor 11 is completely charged by the output voltage from the high voltage source 5 using the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment. For comparison, FIG. 11 also shows a graph showing the behavior of the current iZ in the electric pulse generator 71 of the reference example shown in FIG. 8. Comparing the waveforms of both, it can be seen that the time (τ1) during which the current iZ flows through the current passing object 3 according to the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment can be shortened compared to the time (τ0) during which the current iZ flows when there is no diode 15 (reference example).

[0083] The circuit conditions in Fig. 11 are as follows. That is, the circuit conditions in Fig. 11 are the same as those in Fig. 8 except for the presence of diode 15. The following numerical values ​​are a reference example in which a flash lamp is the current-carrying object 3. Inductance component (same as inductor 17 in Figure 1): 12 μH Resistance of electrified object 3: 50mΩ Capacitor 11 capacitance: 400μF Charging voltage of capacitor 11: 4000V Diode 15: Yes

[0084] More specifically, the current iZ flowing through the current passing object 3 may include a ringing current that is less than 10% of the current value of the peak current that flows after the peak current. This ringing current is related to a certain parasitic inductance in the circuit. However, from the timing when the peak current occurs to the timing when the current moves to the vicinity of zero, it substantially tapers off without changing polarity. It is confirmed that the period (τ1) of the main pulse width, which is the time width until the current waveform begins to substantially taper off, is a short time of about 1.2 ms. In the period (τ3) following the period (τ1), a ringing current that is less than 10% of the current value of the peak current may continue to be confirmed, but this level is considered to have no significant effect on heating.

[0085] 12 to 14 are circuit diagrams showing another example of the configuration of the load circuit section 2 included in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment, following the example of FIG. 10B. That is, each of FIG. 12 to 14 shows the behavior of the current iZ after the discharge of the capacitor 11 is completed.

[0086] In either circuit system, when the capacitor 11 is charged, a series circuit (first closed circuit U1) is formed that includes the capacitor 11, the current passing object 3, the switching element 13, and the inductor 17. Then, when the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conducting state to a conducting state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the current iZ that flowed through the current passing object 3 bypasses the capacitor 11 and flows through the diode 15. After the capacitor 11 is discharged, a second closed circuit U2 is formed in which the diode 15, the inductor 17, and the current passing object 3 are connected in series and does not include the capacitor 11.

[0087] As described above, the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment realizes short pulses, so that the object 30 to be heated can be heated efficiently and reproducibly within an appropriate range while reducing damage to the object 3 to be energized and the object 30 to be heated.

[0088] [Second embodiment] The second embodiment of the electric pulse generator according to the present invention will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used to denote elements common to the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0089] Fig. 15 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment following Fig. 1. The electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the load circuit section 2. Specifically, it is different in that a diode 15 is connected in parallel to a series circuit of an electric current passing object 3 and a capacitor 11.

[0090] The operation of the electrical pulse generator 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16A and 16B. Figures 16A and 16B, following Figures 10A and 10B, only the load circuit section 2 of the electrical pulse generator 1 of this embodiment is extracted.

[0091] When charging of the capacitor 11 is completed, the switching element 13 is turned on to pass a current iZ derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor 11 to the current passing object 3 (see FIG. 16A). When the switching element 13 is turned on, a current iZ derived from a voltage on the order of kV instantaneously flows through the current passing object 3 via the switching element 13.

[0092] The load circuit section 2 of the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment also includes a diode 15, as in the first embodiment. When the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the connection point P1 of the cathode terminal of the diode 15 is electrically closer to the high potential side terminal of the capacitor 11 than the connection point P2 of the anode terminal. Therefore, the current iZ that has flowed through the current passing object 3 flows via the diode 15, bypassing the capacitor 11 and the current passing object 3 (see FIG. 16B). In other words, after the capacitor 11 is discharged, the diode 15 and the inductor 17 are connected in series to form a second closed circuit U2 that does not include the capacitor 11 and the current passing object 3.

[0093] That is, in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment as well, the capacitor 11 is not charged with reverse polarity, and therefore the time during which the current iZ flows through the current passage object 3 is significantly shortened. Furthermore, compared to the first embodiment, the time during which the current iZ flows through the current passage object 3 can be further shortened.

[0094] As described above with reference to Figs. 16A and 16B, in the configuration of the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment, the capacitor 11 is charged through the current-carrying object 3. Here, as described above with reference to Fig. 2, when the current-carrying object 3 is a flash lamp 7, the flash lamp 7 exhibits insulating properties until it starts to light up, and therefore the current-carrying object 3 exhibits substantial insulating properties during this period. In this case, the capacitor 11 cannot be charged through the current-carrying object 3. From this perspective, in order to ensure a charging path to the capacitor 11, a resistor of about several Ω may be connected in parallel to the current-carrying object 3 (here, the flash lamp 7). Also, a diode may be added to ensure the charging path.

[0095] Fig. 17 is an example of a graph showing the behavior of the current iZ flowing through the current passage object 3 after the switching element 13 is turned on after the capacitor 11 is completely charged by the output voltage from the high voltage source 5 using the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment. For comparison, Fig. 17 also shows a graph showing the behavior of the current iZ in the electric pulse generator 71 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 11.

[0096] 17, it is confirmed that the time period during which the current iZ flows through the current application target 3 is further shortened by using the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment than in the first embodiment. According to Fig. 17, in the case of the electric pulse generator 1 of the first embodiment, the period (τ1) of the main pulse width, which is the time width from the generation timing of the peak current to the timing when the current starts to taper off, is about 1.2 ms, whereas in the case of this embodiment, the period (τ2) is about 0.2 ms. In other words, referring to Fig. 11 in addition to Fig. 17, it can be seen that the period of the pulse width can be significantly shortened according to the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment compared to the electric pulse generator 71 of the reference example.

[0097] The electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment is characterized in that the diode 15 is arranged in parallel to the connection circuit between the capacitor 11 and the current-carrying object 3, as shown in Fig. 15. By arranging the capacitor 11, the current-carrying object 3, and the diode 15 as close as possible to each other, generation of a current derived from a parasitic inductance other than the inductor 17 on the circuit in the second closed circuit U2 is suppressed. As a result, according to the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment, almost no ringing current flows after the main pulse is generated, as shown in Fig. 17.

[0098] Figures 18 and 19 are circuit diagrams that show, in accordance with Figure 16B, another example of the configuration of the load circuit section 2 included in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment. That is, Figures 18 and 19 all show the behavior of the current iZ after the discharge of the capacitor 11 is completed.

[0099] In either circuit, when the capacitor 11 is charged, a series circuit (first closed circuit U1) is formed that includes the capacitor 11, the current passing object 3, the switching element 13, and the inductor 17. Then, when the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the current iZ that has flowed through the current passing object 3 bypasses the capacitor 11 and the current passing object 3 and flows through the diode 15. After the capacitor 11 is discharged, a second closed circuit U2 is formed in which the diode 15 and the inductor 17 are connected in series and does not include the capacitor 11 or the current passing object 3.

[0100] As described above, the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment can generate electric pulses with a shorter pulse width than the first embodiment, thereby reducing damage to the object 3 to be energized and the object 30 to be heated, and efficiently heating the object 30 to be heated in an appropriate range with good reproducibility.

[0101] [Third embodiment] The third embodiment of the electric pulse generator according to the present invention will be described mainly with reference to the differences from the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same elements as the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

[0102] Fig. 20 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment following Fig. 1. The electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the load circuit section 2. Specifically, it differs in that a diode 15 is connected in parallel to an inductor 17.

[0103] The operation of the electrical pulse generator 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 21A and 21B. Figures 21A and 21B, following Figures 10A and 10B, only the load circuit section 2 of the electrical pulse generator 1 of this embodiment is extracted.

[0104] When charging of the capacitor 11 is completed, the switching element 13 is turned on to pass a current iZ derived from the charging voltage of the capacitor 11 to the current passing object 3 (see FIG. 21A). When the switching element 13 is turned on, a current iZ derived from a voltage on the order of kV instantaneously flows through the current passing object 3 via the switching element 13.

[0105] The load circuit section 2 of the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment also includes a diode 15, as in the first embodiment. When the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conductive state to a conductive state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, the connection point P1 of the cathode terminal of the diode 15 is electrically closer to the high potential terminal of the capacitor 11 than the connection point P2 of the anode terminal. For this reason, at the time of FIG. 21A, the current iZ from the capacitor 11 flows to the current passing object 3 via the inductor 17, not via the diode 15. After that, when an induced current is generated from the inductor 17, the current iZ flows from the connection point P2 to the connection point P1 via the diode 15 (see FIG. 21B). After the current iZ flows instantaneously toward the current passing object 3, the current no longer flows toward the current passing object 3, but flows in the second closed circuit U2 formed by the inductor 17 and the diode 15.

[0106] In other words, in this embodiment as well, as in the second embodiment, after the capacitor 11 is discharged, the diode 15 and the inductor 17 are connected in series to form a second closed circuit U2 that does not include the capacitor 11 or the object 3 through which current is passed.

[0107] As a result, in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment as well, the time during which the current iZ flows through the current passage object 3 can be further shortened compared to the first embodiment.

[0108] However, in the electric pulse generator 1 of the present embodiment, a current originating from a parasitic inductance in the first closed circuit U1 flows through the current passing object 3, and as a result, a ringing current attenuates by about 10% or less, but the current continues to flow. In this case, the current flowing through the current passing object 3 does not actually become zero. This is also true of the electric pulse generator 1 of the first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 1 etc. In contrast, in the electric pulse generator 1 of the second embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 15 etc., the current path flowing through the current passing object 3 is bypassed by the diode 15, so that the current flowing through the current passing object 3 can be made almost zero.

[0109] Figures 22 to 24 are circuit diagrams that show, in accordance with Figure 21B, other configuration examples of the load circuit section 2 included in the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment. That is, Figures 22 to 24 all show the behavior of the current iZ after the discharge of the capacitor 11 is completed.

[0110] In either circuit, when the capacitor 11 is charged, a series circuit (first closed circuit U1) is formed that includes the capacitor 11, the current passing object 3, the switching element 13, and the inductor 17. Then, when the switching element 13 transitions from a non-conducting state to a conducting state while the capacitor 11 is in a charged state, a current iZ instantaneously flows through the current passing object 3, and then an induced current of the inductor 17 flows through a second closed circuit U2 in which the diode 15 and the inductor 17 are connected in series and which does not include the capacitor 11 or the current passing object 3.

[0111] As described above, the electric pulse generator 1 of this embodiment realizes short pulses, so that the object 30 to be heated can be heated efficiently and reproducibly within an appropriate range while reducing damage to the object 3 to be energized and the object 30 to be heated.

[0112] From the above explanation, it can be understood that the electric pulse generator 1 of each embodiment can reduce the dispersion and fluctuation of the output energy while shortening the period for providing the electric pulse.

[0113] As a result of actual experiments, it was confirmed that, as described above with reference to Fig. 2, when the electrified object 3 is a flash lamp 7, it is possible to improve the luminous efficiency of the flash lamp 7 and control the heating depth of the heated object 30 by turning on the flash lamp 7 using the electric pulse generator 1. Also, as described above with reference to Fig. 3, the principle is the same even when an electric pulse is supplied using the electric pulse generator 1 to a composite structure 4 in which the electrified object 3 and the heated object 30 are integrated, and by controlling the heating depth of the heated object 30, layer separation with higher accuracy can be expected.

[0114] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for a better understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to the embodiment having all the configurations described. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1: Electric pulse generator 2:Load circuit section 3: Electrically conductive object 4: Composite structure 5: High voltage source 6: Switching element 7: Flash lamp 11: Capacitor 13: Switching element 15: Diode 17: Inductor 23: Light emitting tube 30: Heating object 31: Surface area of ​​the object to be heated 32: Lower layer 33: Screw parts 41:Metal plate 41a, 41b: Parts derived from metal plates 43: Constituent materials 45: Constituent materials 47: Upper metal electrode 48:Organic thin film layer 49:Transparent electrode layer 51: Electrode 52: Electrode 55: Conductive solution 56: Containment Container 71: Reference example electric pulse generator 72:Load circuit section 90: Electrically conductive object 91: Capacitor 92: Mechanical switch 95: High voltage source 96: Switching element 100: Conventional electric pulse generator L7: light P1: Connection point P2: Connection point U1: First closed circuit U2:Second closed circuit iZ :Current τ0~τ3: Period

Claims

1. An electric pulse generating device that applies an electric pulse to an electric current application target, a high voltage source and a load circuit section arranged to be able to apply an output voltage from the high voltage source; The load circuit section includes: The current passing object; A switching element connected in series to the current-carrying object; a capacitor disposed in a position capable of being charged based on an output voltage from the high voltage source when the high voltage source and the load circuit unit are electrically connected; a diode including an anode terminal and a cathode terminal; the load circuit unit forms a first closed circuit, which is a series circuit including the capacitor, the current-carrying object, and the switching element, when the switching element is in a conductive state; the anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the diode are each connected to two points on the first closed circuit, 13. An electric pulse generator comprising: a first closed circuit connected to said cathode terminal and said first closed circuit, and a second closed circuit connected to said anode terminal and said first closed circuit, said first closed circuit being electrically closer to a high potential side terminal of said capacitor than to a connection point between said anode terminal and said first closed circuit, at a point when said switching element is transitioned from a non-conducting state to a conducting state while said capacitor is in a charged state.

2. a load current flowing through the current-carrying object when the high voltage source and the load circuit unit are electrically connected includes a peak current and a ringing current that flows after the peak current and is less than 10% of a current value of the peak current, 2. The electric pulse generator according to claim 1, wherein the load current substantially tapers off without changing polarity between the occurrence timing of the peak current and the occurrence timing of the ringing current.

3. 3. The electric pulse generator according to claim 2, wherein the load current has a main pulse width, which is the time width from the occurrence timing of the peak current to the occurrence timing of the ringing current, of 1.2 ms or less.

4. the load circuit section includes an inductor, 4. The electric pulse generator according to claim 1, wherein the first closed circuit is a series circuit including the capacitor, the current-carrying object, the switching element, and the inductor.

5. 5. The electric pulse generator according to claim 4, wherein the load circuit section forms a second closed circuit including the diode, the inductor, and the current-carrying object connected in series, and not including the capacitor, after the capacitor is discharged.

6. 5. The electric pulse generator according to claim 4, wherein the load circuit section forms a second closed circuit after the capacitor is discharged, the second closed circuit including the diode and the inductor connected in series, and not including the capacitor or the current-carrying object.

7. 4. The electric pulse generator according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is a semiconductor element.

8. 4. The electric pulse generator according to claim 1, wherein the object to be energized is a flash lamp.

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