Transmission line, pulse forming circuit, and pulse power supply device

Abstract

To provide a transmission line for pulse formation, a pulse forming circuit using the transmission line, and a pulse power supply device capable of further promoting miniaturization.SOLUTION: In the container, the flat plate conductor forming the first surface of the container, the first line conductor, and the first flat plate conductor form a first parallel line, the first flat plate conductor, the second line conductor, and the second flat plate conductor form a second parallel line, the second flat plate conductor, the third line conductor, and the flat plate conductor forming the third surface of the container form a third parallel line, and each line conductor faces the parallel conductor via the insulating fluid; The first and second line conductors and the second and third line conductors are connected by first and second connection conductors, one end of the first line conductor is connected to a signal input portion provided on the third surface of the container via a tapered connection portion, and the third line conductor is connected to a signal output portion provided on the third surface of the container via a tapered connection portion. The first and second flat conductors are connected to at least one of the fifth surface and the sixth surface (conductors) of the container, and the signal input portion and the signal output portion of the third surface are disposed at predetermined positions where creepage distances are ensured.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmission line, a pulse forming circuit, and a pulse power supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies (also referred to as "pulse power technology") have been developed and utilized to generate high-power, high-voltage pulses with short pulse durations on the order of picoseconds (ps) or nanoseconds (ns) for various applications. Circuits known as pulse-wave shaping circuits (or pulse-forming circuits) are widely used to generate high-power, high-voltage pulses with short pulse durations. Among these, circuits using a transmission line structure capable of handling high voltage and large current are often used, particularly when generating high-power, high-voltage pulses. Reference 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-130443) discloses a pulse power supply that uses a Blumlein transmission line, which is a distributed constant line, to form pulses. Particularly when generating high-power, high-voltage pulses, circuits known as pulse-wave shaping circuits (or pulse-forming circuits) using a transmission line structure capable of handling high voltage and large current are used.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a pulse wave forming transmission line that enables the miniaturization of a pulse power supply device using a pulse forming circuit, and a pulse forming circuit and pulse power supply device that use this transmission line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-158498 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a demand for a pulse wave forming transmission line that further promotes miniaturization, and a pulse forming circuit and pulse power supply device that use such a transmission line.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a transmission line for pulse formation, a pulse forming circuit using the transmission line, and a pulse power supply device equipped with the pulse forming circuit, which enable further miniaturization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmission line includes n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) flat conductors and first to (n+1)th line conductors, which are arranged in a container immersed in an insulating fluid. In the transmission line, the n flat plate conductors, when n is 2 or more, include first to nth flat plate conductors that are spaced apart from each other along the direction from the first surface of the container to the second surface that faces parallel to the first surface and are arranged parallel to the flat plate conductors that make up the first surface of the container, and when n is 1, include a first flat plate conductor that is parallel to the flat plate conductor that makes up the first surface of the container. In the transmission line, the flat conductor that constitutes the first surface of the container, the first line conductor that is arranged parallel to and opposite the flat conductor that constitutes the first surface of the container with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the first flat conductor that is arranged parallel to and opposite the first line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween constitute a first parallel line. In the transmission line, the nth flat conductor, the (n+1)th line conductor arranged parallel to the nth flat conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the flat conductor constituting the second surface of the container arranged parallel to the (n+1)th line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween constitute the (n+1)th parallel line. In the transmission line, when n is 2 or more, for each integer i between 1 and (n-1), the (i+1)th parallel line is constituted by the i-th flat conductor, the (i+1)th line conductor arranged parallel to the i-th flat conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the (i+1)th flat conductor arranged parallel to the (i+1)th line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween. In the transmission line, the ends of the line conductors of adjacent parallel lines are connected to each other by a connecting conductor. In the transmission line, one end of either the first line conductor or the (n+1)th line conductor is connected to the signal input portion via a tapered first connection portion that is provided on a third or fourth surface of the container facing each other and that widens toward the signal input portion, or The other of the first line conductor and the (n+1)th line conductor has one or more connection portions connected to one or more signal output portions provided on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container, and at least one of the line conductors other than the other has one or more connection portions connected to one or more signal output portions provided on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container. In the transmission line, each of the n flat conductors is electrically connected to at least one of the fifth and sixth surfaces of the container, which are made of conductors facing each other, and is at a common potential with the flat conductor that constitutes the first surface of the container and the flat conductor that constitutes the second surface of the container. In the transmission line, the signal input section and the signal output section are disposed at predetermined positions on the third surface and / or the fourth surface of the container, respectively, at which creepage distances are ensured.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a pulse-forming circuit includes a transmission line of the above-described embodiment, a first switch connected to the signal input section of the transmission line, and one or more switches connected to one or more of the signal output sections of the transmission line.

[0009] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, there is provided a pulse forming circuit of the above aspect, and a pulse power supply having an output terminal connected to the first switch of the pulse forming circuit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to further promote miniaturization. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1A to 1D are diagrams schematically illustrating cross sections of line conductors according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1A to 1C are a top view and a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an exploded view schematically illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating still another example of some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]10A to 10C are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating still other examples of some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Several embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. In a transmission line according to several embodiments of the present disclosure, n (n is an integer of 1 or more) flat conductors and first to (n+1)th line conductors are disposed in a state immersed in an insulating fluid between a flat conductor constituting a first surface (201 in FIGS. 3 and 8) of a container (101) and a flat conductor constituting a second surface (205 in FIGS. 3 and 8) facing parallel to the first surface (201) of the container (101).

[0013] When n is 2 or more, the container (101) includes first to n-th flat plate conductors (121, 122 in FIG. 1) spaced apart from each other and arranged parallel to the flat plate conductors of the first surface (201) along the direction from the flat plate conductors that form the first surface (201) of the container (101) to the parallel flat plates that form the second surface (205) opposite the first surface (201).When n is 1, the container (101) includes a first flat plate conductor (121 in FIG. 6) that is parallel to the flat plate conductors that form the first surface (201).

[0014] The first parallel line (111 in FIGS. 1 and 6) is made up of a flat conductor constituting the first surface (201) of the container (101), a first line conductor (131 in FIG. 1, 131 in FIG. 6) arranged parallel to and opposite the flat conductor constituting the first surface (201) of the container (101) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and a first flat conductor (121 in FIGS. 1 and 6) arranged parallel to and opposite the first line conductor (131 in FIG. 1, 131 in FIG. 6) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween. That is, an insulating fluid is interposed between the flat conductor constituting the first surface (201) of the container (101) and the first line conductor (131), and between the first line conductor (131) and the first flat conductor (121).

[0015] The nth flat conductor (122 in Figure 1, 121 in Figure 6), the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in Figure 1, 132 in Figure 6) arranged parallel to and opposite the nth flat conductor (122 in Figure 1, 121 in Figure 6) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the flat conductor constituting the second surface (205) of the container (101) arranged parallel to and opposite the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in Figure 1, 132 in Figure 6) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween constitute the (n+1)th parallel line (113 in Figure 1, 112 in Figure 6). That is, an insulating fluid is interposed between the nth flat conductor (122 in Figure 1, 121 in Figure 6) and the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in Figure 1, 132 in Figure 6), and between the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in Figure 1, 132 in Figure 6) and the flat conductor that constitutes the second surface (205) of the container (101).

[0016] When n is 2 or more, for each integer i between 1 and (n-1) inclusive (in Figure 1 where n is 2, (n-1)=1 and i is 1), the i-th flat conductor (121 in Figure 1), the (i+1)-th line conductor (132 in Figure 1) arranged parallel to and opposite the i-th flat conductor (121 in Figure 1) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the (i+1)-th flat conductor (122 in Figure 1) arranged parallel to and opposite the (i+1)-th line conductor (132 in Figure 1) with an insulating fluid interposed therebetween constitute the (i+1)-th parallel line (112). That is, an insulating fluid is interposed between the i-th flat conductor (121 in Figure 1) and the (i+1)-th line conductor (132 in Figure 1), and between the (i+1)-th line conductor (132 in Figure 1) and the (i+1)-th flat conductor (122 in Figure 1).

[0017] For the first to (n+1)th line conductors (131, 132, 133 in FIG. 1, 131, 132 in FIG. 6), the ends of adjacent parallel line conductors are connected by connecting conductors (141, 142 in FIG. 1, 141 in FIG. 6).

[0018] One end of either the first line conductor (131 in FIG. 1, 131 in FIG. 6) or the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in FIG. 1, 132 in FIG. 6) (131 in FIG. 1 or 132 in FIG. 6) is connected to the signal input section (221 in FIG. 1, FIG. 6) via a tapered connection section (131C in FIG. 2, 132C3 in FIG. 7) that expands toward the signal input section (221 in FIG. 1, FIG. 6) provided on one of the opposing third or fourth surfaces (206, 204 in FIG. 8, FIG. 3) of the container (101).

[0019] One end of the other (133 in FIG. 1) of the first line conductor (131 in FIG. 1) and the (n+1)th line conductor (133 in FIG. 1) is connected to the signal output unit (222 in FIG. 1) provided on the third surface (206) of the container (101) via a tapered connection portion (133C in FIG. 2) that expands toward the signal output unit (222 in FIG. 1). Alternatively, the other (131 in FIG. 6) of the first line conductor (131 in FIG. 6) and the n-th line conductor (132 in FIG. 6) has one or more connection parts (branch parts) (131C1, 131C2 in FIG. 7) connected to one or more signal output parts (224, 225 in FIGS. 6 and 8) provided on the fourth surface (204) of the container (101), and at least one (132 in FIG. 6) of the first to (n+1)-th line conductors other than the other (131 in FIG. 6) has one or more connection parts (branch parts) (132C1, 132C2 in FIG. 7) connected to one or more signal output parts (223, 222 in FIGS. 6 and 8) provided on the fourth surface (204) of the container (101).

[0020] The n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) flat conductors (121, 122 in Figure 1, 121 in Figure 6) are electrically connected to at least one of the fifth and sixth surfaces (202, 203 in Figures 8 and 3) of the container (101) which are made of conductors, and are at a common potential (reference potential) with the flat conductors that make up the first surface (201) of the container (101) and the flat conductors that make up the second surface (205) of the container (101).

[0021] The signal input unit (221 in FIGS. 1 and 6) and the signal output unit (222 in FIGS. 1, 6, 221 in FIGS. 6 and 8, 222, 223, 224, 225 in FIGS. 6 and 8) are respectively disposed at predetermined positions on the third or fourth surface (206, 204 in FIGS. 8 and 3) of the container (101) with a sufficient creepage distance.

[0022] The line pattern of each line conductor (131, 132, 133 in FIG. 2, 131, 132 in FIG. 7) includes one or more line patterns each consisting of a first line (131A1) extending in a predetermined direction, a bent portion (131B1) one end of which is connected to the first line, and a second line (131A2) connected to the other end of the bent portion (131B1). The bent portions (e.g., 131B1, 131B2 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7) of the line patterns of one set and an adjacent set are arranged opposite to each other, and the second line of the line pattern of the one set is the first line of the line pattern of the adjacent set.

[0023] Although not particularly limited, for example, the first line conductor (131) has a first bent portion (131B1 in FIG. 2) to which one end of a first line (131A1 in FIG. 2) extending in a predetermined direction is connected, and a second line (131A2 in FIG. 2) extending from the first bent portion (131B1) substantially parallel to the first line (131A1). The first line conductor (131) also has a second bent portion (131B2 in FIG. 2) to which one end of the second line (131A2) is connected, and a third line (131A3 in FIG. 2) extending from the second bent portion (131B2) substantially parallel to the second line (131A2). Furthermore, there is a third bent portion (131B3 in FIG. 2) to which one end of the third line (131A3) is connected, and a fourth line (131A4 in FIG. 2) extending from the third bent portion (131B3) approximately parallel to the third line (131A3). The second line (131A2) and the third line (131A3) may be of equal length. Also, the first line (131A1) and the fourth line (131A4) may be of equal length. Adjacent lines are paired as a line pair in which the signal travels in different directions. The first to n-th line conductors may have the same planar pattern and may be arranged to overlap one another.

[0024] For example, when n=2, although not particularly limited, in the first line conductor (131 in FIG. 1), one end of the first line (131A) opposite the first bent portion (131B1) is provided on the third surface (206) of the container (101), extends toward the through terminal (221) forming the signal input portion at a predetermined angle relative to the third surface (206) of the container (101), and is connected to a tapered connection portion (131C) that expands toward the through terminal (221) forming the signal input portion. In addition, in the third line conductor (133 in FIG. 1), one end of the fourth line (133A4) opposite to the third bent portion (133B3) extends toward a through terminal (222) forming a signal output portion provided on the third surface (206) of the container (101) at a predetermined angle (inclination angle) with respect to the third surface (206) of the container (101) and is connected to a tapered connection portion (133C) expanding toward the through terminal (222) forming the signal output portion. One end of the fourth line (131A4) of the first line conductor (131) opposite to the third bent portion (131B3) is electrically connected to one end of the fourth line (132A4) of the second line conductor (132) opposite to the third bent portion (132B3) by a first connection conductor (141). An end of the first line (132A1) of the second line conductor (132) opposite the first bent portion (132B1) is electrically connected to an end of the first line (133A1) of the third line conductor (133) opposite the first bent portion (133B1) by a second connecting conductor (142). On the third surface (206) of the container (101), a through terminal (221) forming a signal input portion and a through terminal (222) forming a signal output portion are disposed at positions corresponding to predetermined creepage distances.

[0025] In the case where n=1, although not particularly limited, in the second line conductor (132 in FIG. 7), one end of the fourth line (132A4) opposite to the third bent portion (132B3) is provided on the third surface (206) of the container, extends toward the through terminal (221) forming the signal input portion at a predetermined angle with respect to the third surface (206) of the container, and is connected to a tapered connecting portion (132C3) widening toward the through terminal forming the signal input portion. In the second line conductor (132), the third bent portion (132B3) and the first bent portion (132B1) are provided with connecting portions (branch portions) (132C2, 132C1), respectively. The connection portions (branch portions) (132C2, 132C1) are provided on the fourth surface (204) of the container (101) and are connected to the first and second through terminals (222, 223) that form the signal output portion, respectively. One end of the first line (131A1) of the first line conductor (131) opposite the first bent portion (131B1) is electrically connected to one end of the first line (132A1) of the second line conductor (132) opposite the first bent portion (132B1) by a connection conductor (141). In the first line conductor (131), the first bent portion (131B1) and the third bent portion (131B3) are provided with connection portions (branch portions) (131C1, 131C2), respectively. The connection portions (branch portions) (131C1, 131C2) are provided on the fourth surface (204) of the container (101) and are connected to third and fourth through terminals (224, 225) that form a signal output portion. One end of the fourth line (131A4) opposite to the third bent portion (131B3) is an open end (131D). The through terminal (221) that forms a signal input portion on the third surface (206) of the container (101) and the first to fourth through terminals (222-225) that form a signal output portion on the fourth surface (204) are each disposed at a position corresponding to a predetermined creepage distance.

[0026] In addition to the configuration in which the container (101) is filled and sealed with an insulating fluid (105 in FIG. 5), a configuration in which the container (101) is housed within a second container (102 in FIG. 12) filled with the insulating fluid (105) and the second container (102 in FIG. 12) filled with the insulating fluid may be provided, and at least one of the first to sixth surfaces (201-206) of the container (101) may have a through hole for circulating the insulating fluid. As the through hole for circulating the insulating fluid, the flat conductor constituting the top surface (201) of the container (101) may be a metal mesh, or a through hole may be provided in the dielectric side wall constituting the third surface (206) and / or the fourth surface (204) of the container (101). The material of the container (102 in FIG. 12) may be a dielectric. The third side (206) and fourth side (204) of the container (101) may be the same as (i.e., may share) the dielectric sidewalls of the corresponding sides of the container (102).

[0027] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of an example transmission line according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. A transmission line consisting of three layers of parallel lines, namely, a first layer of parallel lines 111, a second layer of parallel lines 112, and a third layer of parallel lines 113, is disposed in a container 101. An insulating fluid (not shown) is filled and sealed inside the container 101.

[0028] The first layer parallel line 111 is composed of a flat conductor that forms the top surface 201 of the container 101, a first line conductor 131 that faces in parallel to the flat conductor on the top surface 201 of the container 101 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) sandwiched between them, and a first flat conductor 121 that faces in parallel to the first line conductor 131 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) sandwiched between them. The flat conductor that forms the top surface 201 of the container 101 may be the same element (integrated, same member) as the top surface 201 (metal lid) of the container 101. In this case, the flat conductor that forms the top surface 201 of the container 101 can also be referred to as reference symbol 201, but hereinafter, reference symbol 201 will refer to the top surface of the container 101, and the flat conductor that is integrated with the top surface will be referred to as the flat conductor that forms (is) the top surface 201 of the container 101.

[0029] The parallel line 112 of the second layer is composed of a first flat plate conductor 121, a second line conductor 132 that faces parallel to the first flat plate conductor 121 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between, and a second flat plate conductor 122 that faces parallel to the second line conductor 132 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between.

[0030] The third layer parallel line 113 is composed of a second flat plate conductor 122, a third line conductor 133 facing in parallel to the second flat plate conductor 122 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) sandwiched therebetween, and a flat plate conductor forming the lower surface (bottom surface) 205 of the container facing in parallel to the third line conductor 133 with the dielectric (insulating fluid) sandwiched therebetween. The flat plate conductor forming the lower surface 205 of the container 101 may be the same element (integrated) as the lower surface 205 (metal plate) of the container 101. For convenience, the three-layer stacked parallel lines 111, 112, and 113 are referred to as the first layer, second layer, and third layer from the upper surface 201 side of the container 101 toward the lower surface 205, but they may also be simply referred to as the first, second, and third parallel lines 111, 112, and 113. In terms of the number of layers stacked from the bottom surface 205 side of the container 101, the parallel lines 111 to 113 are the third layer, the second layer, and the first layer, respectively.

[0031] The parallel lines 111 to 113 on the first to third layers each correspond to a strip line configuration in which a line is provided between flat conductors with a dielectric interposed therebetween.

[0032] An end of the first line conductor 131 of the first parallel line 111 and an end of the second line conductor 132 of the second parallel line 112 are electrically connected by a first connecting conductor 141. In addition, an end of the second line conductor 132 of the second parallel line 112 and an end of the third line conductor 133 of the third parallel line 113 are electrically connected by a second connecting conductor 142.

[0033] 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the wiring pattern of the line conductors in Fig. 1, and is a diagram for explaining a non-limiting example of the planar pattern of transmission line 150 housed in container 101 and sandwiched between flat conductors (reference layers). Transmission line 150 includes first line conductor 131, second line conductor 132, and third line conductor 133, each having a strip-like pattern with a predetermined line width.

[0034] 2, in first line conductor 131, one end of first line 131A1 is connected to one end of connection portion 131C, and the other end is connected to one end of first bent portion 131B1. The other end of first bent portion 131B1 is connected to one end of second line 131A2 extending parallel to first line 131A1, and the other end of second line 131A2 is connected to one end of second bent portion 131B2. The other end of second bent portion 131B2 is connected to third line 131A3 extending parallel to second line 131A2, and the other end of third line 131A3 is connected to one end of third bent portion 131B3. The other end of the third bent portion 131B3 is connected to one end of a fourth line 131A4 extending parallel to the third line 131A3, and the other end of the fourth line 131A4 is connected to one end of the first connecting conductor 141.

[0035] In the first line conductor 131, the connection portion 131C extends from an end of the first line 131A1 of the first line conductor 131 toward the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at a predetermined angle (for example, diagonally downward), and is connected to a feedthrough terminal 221 ( FIG. 1 ) provided on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. The feedthrough terminal 221 constitutes an input port to the first-layer parallel line 111. The connection portion 131C preferably has a tapered shape in which the line width gradually increases as it approaches the feedthrough terminal 221 on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. Note that the connection portion 131C of the first line conductor 131 may be molded integrally with the line pattern of the first line conductor 131 and then bent at a predetermined inclination angle.

[0036] In the first line conductor 131, the first, second, third, and fourth lines 131A1, 131A2, 131A3, and 131A4 and the first, second, and third bent portions 131B1, 131B2, and 131B3 have the same line width, and the first and fourth lines 131A1 and 131A4 have the same length. In the example of Figure 2, the second and third lines 131A2 and 131A3 have the same length and are shorter than the first and fourth lines 131A1 and 131A4. The first and third bent portions 131B1 and 131B3 have the same size, and the second bent portion 131B2 is formed by rotating the first bent portion 131B1 by 180 degrees. 2, the corners of the first to third bent portions 131B1 to 131B3 are chamfered to make the line width uniform. The corners of the first to third bent portions 131B1 to 131B3 may be rounded (R-chamfered). In this case, the R-chamfer may be a quarter arc with a radius substantially equal to the line width of the first line 131A1.

[0037] 2, the shape of the planar pattern of the second line conductor 132 is the same as that of the first line conductor 131 except for the connecting portion 131C, and they overlap each other. One end of the first line 132A1 of the second line conductor 132 is connected to one end of the second connecting conductor 142. One end of the fourth line 132A4 of the second line conductor 132 is connected to the other end of the first connecting conductor 141 (one end of the first connecting conductor 141 is connected to the fourth line 131A4 of the first line conductor 131).

[0038] Furthermore, the shape of the planar pattern of the third line conductor 133, excluding the connecting portion 133C, is the same as that of the second line conductor 132, and they overlap each other. One end of the first line 133A1 of the third line conductor 133 is connected to the other end of the second connecting conductor 142 (one end of the second connecting conductor 142 is connected to the first line 132A1 of the second line conductor 132).

[0039] In the third line conductor 133, one end of the fourth line 133A4 is connected to one end of the connection portion 133C. The connection portion 133C extends from the end of the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133 toward the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at a predetermined angle (diagonally upward), and the other end of the connection portion 133C is connected to a feedthrough terminal 222 provided on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. The feedthrough terminal 222 constitutes an input port to the parallel line 112 of the second layer. The connection portion 133C preferably has a tapered shape in which the line width gradually increases as it approaches the feedthrough terminal 222 on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. The connection portion 133C of the third line conductor 133 may be molded integrally with the line pattern of the third line conductor 133 and then bent at a predetermined angle.

[0040] 3 is an assembly diagram that schematically illustrates the state in which the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the container 101 in FIG. 1 are disassembled. Referring to FIG. 3, a first line conductor 131 serving as an internal conductor is disposed at a distance in an area sandwiched between the flat plate conductor that forms the top surface 201 (metal lid) of the container 101 and a first flat plate conductor 121. The first flat plate conductor 121 is electrically connected to the side surfaces 202 and 203 (metal side walls) of the container 101 via a first conductive portion 211 and a second conductive portion 212, respectively. An insulating fluid (not shown) is filled between the flat plate conductor that forms the top surface 201 of the container 101 and the first line conductor 131, and between the first line conductor 131 and the first flat plate conductor 121. With the above configuration, the parallel line 111 on the first layer is a parallel line having a pair of electrodes of an outer conductor (reference layer (ground layer)) and an inner conductor, and constitutes a transmission line structure known as a strip line.

[0041] A second line conductor 132 serving as an internal conductor is disposed at a distance from the first flat plate conductor 121 in a region sandwiched between the first flat plate conductor 121 and the second flat plate conductor 122. The second flat plate conductor 122 is electrically connected to the side surfaces 202, 203 (metal side walls) of the container 101 via third and fourth conductive portions 213, 214, respectively. An insulating fluid (not shown) is filled between the first flat plate conductor 121 and the second line conductor 132 and between the second line conductor 132 and the second flat plate conductor 122. With the above configuration, the second-layer parallel line 112 constitutes a transmission line structure known as a strip line, as a parallel line having a pair of electrodes of an external conductor (reference layer (ground layer)) and an internal conductor.

[0042] A third line conductor 133 serving as an internal conductor is disposed at a distance in a region sandwiched between the second flat plate conductor 122 and the flat plate conductor forming the lower surface 205 of the container 101. An insulating fluid (not shown) is filled between the second flat plate conductor 122 and the third line conductor 133 and between the third line conductor 133 and the flat plate conductor forming the lower surface 205 of the container 101. With the above configuration, the third layer parallel line 113 constitutes a transmission line structure known as a strip line as a parallel line having a pair of electrodes of an external conductor (reference layer (ground layer)) and an internal conductor.

[0043] The side 202 (metal side wall) and the side 203 (metal side wall) of the container 101 are electrically connected to the flat conductors (metal plates) on the top surface 201 and the bottom surface 205 of the container 101, respectively, and are at a common potential level, and the first flat conductor 121 and the second flat conductor 122, which are electrically connected to the side surfaces 202 and 203 of the container 101, are also at a common potential level (reference potential).

[0044] Due to its structure, the characteristic impedance of a stripline is generally several ohms to several tens of ohms. For example, when a high-voltage pulse of 100 kV (kilovolts) is transmitted through a 50 ohm transmission line, the transmitted power is 200 MW (megawatts). Therefore, although this disclosure focuses on the voltage of the pulse, such as a high-voltage pulse, from the perspective of characteristic impedance, the power of such a pulse is also high. In other words, it is synonymous with a high-power, high-voltage pulse.

[0045] Here, at least the surface of the flat conductor forming the upper surface 201 of the container 101 facing the first line conductor 131 and the surface of the first flat conductor 121 facing the first line conductor 131 are flat and smooth enough to prevent dielectric breakdown when a high-voltage pulse is transmitted over a distance filled with an insulating fluid (not shown). The first line conductor 131, serving as the inner conductor, is also flat and smooth, typically having a flat (strip) shape with a predetermined width. If the cross section of the first line conductor 131 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction has corners, dielectric breakdown is particularly likely to occur due to the electric field concentration effect. This requires a longer separation distance for filling the insulating fluid, which leads to an increase in the size of the device (container 101). Therefore, for compactness, it is desirable to curve the cross-sectional corners of the first line conductor 131. The same applies to the second and third line conductors 132 and 133.

[0046] 4(A) to 4(D) are diagrams schematically showing several examples of cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each of the first line conductor 131, the second line conductor 132, and the third line conductor 133 in FIG. 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the corners may be rounded (chamfered), or may have a racetrack shape as shown in FIG. 4(B), an elliptical shape as shown in FIG. 4(C), or a circle (including a nearly circular shape) as shown in FIG. 4(D). However, the cross-sectional shapes of the first line conductor 131 to the third line conductor 133 are not limited to those described above.

[0047] Fig. 5(A) is a top view of container 101 of Fig. 1. In Fig. 5(A), tapered connection portion 131C of first line conductor 131 and tapered connection portion 133C of tapered third line conductor 133 of Fig. 1 are shown by hidden lines.

[0048] 5(B) is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section (xz plane) taken along the arrow A-A' in FIG. 5(A). In FIG. 5(B), the first line conductor 131 to the third line conductor 133 have the cross-sectional shape of FIG. 4(B). 105 denotes an insulating fluid. Both ends (both ends along the x-axis) of the first flat plate conductor 121 (second flat plate conductor 122) abut against the side surfaces 202 and 203 of the container 101 via conductive portions 211 and 212 (213 and 214). In FIG. 5(A), the four corners where the flat plate conductors on the upper surface 201 and the lower surface 205 of the container 101, which are arranged opposite the first and third line conductors 131 and 133, respectively, intersect with the side surfaces 202 and 203, may be rounded (rounded corners).

[0049] 5(C) is a schematic diagram showing a cross section (yz plane) taken along the arrow B-B' in FIG. 5(A). The connecting portion 133C extends from the end of the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133 at a predetermined angle (diagonally upward) with respect to the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 to the through-terminal 222 provided on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. In FIG. 5(C), for simplicity's sake, the end of the connecting portion 133C is disposed at an angle in the through-terminal 222. However, the direction of the through-terminal 222 may be normal to the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. The length (width) of the first flat plate conductor 121 and the second flat plate conductor 122 in the y-axis direction is shorter than the length (width) of the side surfaces 202 and 203 of the container 101 in the y-axis direction. 5(C), the connection conductor 141 connecting the end of the first line conductor 131 (fourth line 131A4) and the end of the second line conductor 132 (fourth line 132A4) is disposed facing each other at a distance from the inner wall of the side surface 206 of the container 101. However, this is not limited to such a configuration, and it does not exclude, for example, the connection conductor 141 coming into contact with the inner wall of the side surface 206 of the container 101. Note that the through terminal 222 (221) in the state in which the connection portion 133C (131C) is connected hermetically seals the insulating fluid 105.

[0050] In FIG. 5(C), the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133, sandwiched between the second flat plate conductor 122 and the flat plate conductor constituting the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) interposed therebetween, constitutes a third parallel line (113 in FIG. 1) (split line). Ignoring the thickness of the line conductor, the characteristic impedance Z0 per unit length of the strip line is generally calculated using an approximation formula that depends on the line width w and the dielectric thickness h (w / h). For the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133, the distance between the second flat plate conductor 122 and the flat plate conductor constituting the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 corresponds to the thickness of the dielectric (first thickness). For the connection portion 133C (split line), the distance between the parallel plate on the top surface 201 of the container 101 and the flat plate conductor constituting the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 can correspond to the thickness of the dielectric (second thickness). When the above-described formula for calculating the characteristic impedance is used as is, the width of the end of the connecting portion 133C connected to the through terminal 222 is set to approximately the line width of the fourth line 133A4 × (second thickness / first thickness) for impedance matching. In the case of a three-layer parallel line configuration as shown in the example of FIG. 5(C), (second thickness / first thickness) is approximately 3, and the width of one end of the connecting portion 133C connected to the through terminal 222 is approximately three times the line width of the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133 to which the other end of the connecting portion 133C is connected. Here, it is assumed that the pulse transmitted through the parallel line has a frequency component of at most 100 MHz (megahertz), and furthermore, the 100 MHz frequency component is small, and pure water is used as the insulating fluid. The refractive index n is approximately 9 (n = √(εr): εr is the relative dielectric constant, and εr of pure water is approximately 80.4 at room temperature (20°C)), and the wavelength λ (= 3 m) of 100 MHz is approximately 30 cm (= λ / n) in pure water. Therefore, through repeated experiments, it was found that, for example, with a length of approximately 3 cm, which is about 1 / 10 of that size, desired characteristics can be obtained without strictly following the above impedance matching equation. Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the width of one end of connection portion 133C that connects to feed-through terminal 222 is set to be slightly less than twice the line width of fourth line 133A4 of third line conductor 133, as shown in FIG. 5(A) (the same applies to connection portion 131C).

[0051] In the present disclosure, the characteristic impedance of the transmission line is determined by the separation distance and opposing area between the flat conductor forming the top surface 201 of the container 101, the outer conductor of the first flat conductor 121, and the first line conductor 131, which is the inner conductor. Therefore, the separation distance and opposing area are determined mainly from the viewpoints of the characteristic impedance and prevention of dielectric breakdown when a high-voltage pulse is transmitted. The former is designed using, for example, electromagnetic field simulation, and the latter is designed using, for example, electrostatic field simulation. In particular, the latter viewpoint is specific to the fact that the pulse is a high-voltage pulse, and is different from general transmission lines.

[0052] It is desirable to finish the conductor surface of the parallel lines 111 on the first layer by mirror polishing or the like to make it sufficiently smooth. This effectively prevents dielectric breakdown due to the electric field concentration effect. This allows the separation distance to be narrowed, which is effective for miniaturization.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, in the parallel line 111 of the first layer, an input port for a high voltage pulse to the parallel line is realized by providing a feedthrough terminal 221 on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101.

[0054] The feedthrough terminal 221 on the side surface 206 of the container 101 is configured to suppress deviations in characteristic impedance while ensuring a sufficient creepage distance along the side surface 206 (metal side wall) of the container 101 from a triple point formed by the insulating fluid, the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, and the top surface 201 (metal plate: planar conductor) or the side surface 202 (metal side wall) of the container 101. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the feedthrough terminal 221 includes a tapered connection portion 131C connected to the first line 131A1 ( FIG. 2 ) of the first line conductor 131 near the feedthrough terminal 221 and extending obliquely downward, thereby ensuring creepage distances 231 and 232. The creepage distance 231 is the distance from the side edge of the side surface 206 of the container 101 to the feedthrough terminal 221, and the creepage distance 232 is the distance from the top edge of the side surface 206 of the container 101 to the feedthrough terminal 221. The through terminal 222, which is connected to one end of the fourth line 133A4 of the third line conductor 133 and to the tapered connection portion 133C extending obliquely upward, also has creepage distances 233 and 234. The creepage distance 233 is the distance from the side edge of the side surface 206 of the container 101 to the through terminal 222, and the creepage distance 234 is the distance from the bottom edge of the side surface 206 of the container 101 to the through terminal 222.

[0055] Here, an end of fourth line 131A4 of first line conductor 131 and an end of fourth line 131A4 of second line conductor 132 are connected by first connecting conductor 141 to form a conductive structure. Also, one end of first line 132A1 of second line conductor 132 and one end of first line 133A1 of third line conductor 133 are connected by second connecting conductor 142 to form a conductive structure. With the above configuration, three layers of parallel lines are stacked and connected in container 101 filled with insulating fluid (not shown), thereby forming a transmission line structure.

[0056] Although the first flat conductor 121 and the second flat conductor 122 are made of flat metal members, they are not limited to such a configuration, and for example, metal mesh materials such as wire mesh or punched metal may be used to ensure uniformity of the insulating fluid and ease of assembly.

[0057] The high-voltage pulses used in pulse-forming circuits have frequencies ranging from DC to approximately 100 MHz. Therefore, if the mesh opening is approximately 1 / 10 of the wavelength (approximately 30 cm or less), it will electrically function in the same way as a flat metal plate. For example, if a punched metal with an opening of approximately 3 cm is used and the edges of the opening are sufficiently chamfered smoothly to prevent dielectric breakdown, there will be no problems with the transmission of high-voltage pulses. In this case, the insulating fluid passes through openings of approximately 3 cm, which makes it easy to ensure the uniformity of the insulating fluid. Furthermore, when assembling a transmission line structure, various connectors can be easily connected through the openings.

[0058] The transmission line 150 described above can be used as a pulse-forming line that shapes a pulse waveform in a pulse-forming circuit and a pulse power supply. This allows the pulse-forming circuit and the pulse power supply to be miniaturized. A high-voltage pulse generated in an external pulse power supply (not shown) is input from an input port to the parallel line, via a switch such as a gap switch as necessary. The high-voltage pulse input via the feed-through terminal 221 is transmitted to the first line conductor 131 and transmitted. In this case, the planar conductor on the top surface 201 of the container 101 and the first flat-plate conductor 121 act as external conductors.

[0059] The high-voltage pulse that reaches the end of the first line conductor 131 is transmitted to the second line conductor 132 via the first connecting conductor 141 and is transmitted there. At this time, the first flat plate conductor 121 and the second flat plate conductor 122 act as outer conductors. The high-voltage pulse that reaches the end of the second line conductor 132 is transmitted to the third line conductor 133 via the second connecting conductor 142 and is transmitted there. At this time, the second flat plate conductor 122 and the flat conductor that forms the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 act as outer conductors. The high-voltage pulse that reaches the end of the third line conductor 133 is output from the output port via the feed-through terminal 222.

[0060] The high-voltage pulse output from the feed-through terminal 222 of the parallel line 111 of the first layer is input to a load (not shown) such as an external high-frequency conversion device via a switch such as a gap switch as needed. A circuit element such as a gap switch provided as needed on the input or output side may be housed in a container 101 filled with an insulating fluid. For example, since well-controlled insulation is required between the electrode gaps of the gap switch, it is possible to store it in the container 101 and reuse the insulating fluid filled in the container.

[0061] According to the present disclosure, in a transmission line that prevents dielectric breakdown during the transmission of high-voltage pulses, by stacking parallel lines configured by providing a first conductor that serves as an outer conductor in addition to the metal wall of a container filled with insulating fluid, it is possible to provide a pulse-forming transmission line that makes it possible to further reduce the size of a device that generates high-power, high-voltage pulses, as well as a pulse-forming circuit and a pulse power supply device that use this transmission line.

[0062] The arrangement of the container 101 is not limited to the example in Fig. 1, and may be upside down. Also, the side surface 206 of the container 101 (the surface on which the through terminals 221 and 222 are provided) may be the upper surface.

[0063] 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a transmission line configured by stacking two layers of parallel lines, as one of several examples of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 6, a transmission line configured by stacking two layers of parallel lines, consisting of a first layer of parallel lines 111 and a second layer of parallel lines 112, is stored in a container 101 filled with an insulating fluid (not shown).

[0064] The first layer parallel line 111 is composed of a flat conductor that forms the upper surface 201 of the container 101 that forms the external conductor, a first line conductor 131 that faces in parallel to the flat conductor that forms the upper surface 201 of the container 101 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between, and a first flat conductor 121 that faces in parallel to the first line conductor 131 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between.

[0065] The parallel line 112 of the second layer is composed of a first flat plate conductor 121, a second line conductor 132 that faces parallel to the first flat plate conductor 121 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between, and a flat plate conductor that forms the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 that faces parallel to the second line conductor 132 with a dielectric (insulating fluid) in between.

[0066] The parallel lines 111 and 112 on the first and second layers each correspond to a stripline configuration in which a line is provided between flat conductors with a dielectric interposed therebetween. One end of the second line conductor 132 is connected to the other end of a tapered connection portion 132C3, one end of which is connected to a feed-through terminal 221 provided on a side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101. The second line conductor 132 is connected to feed-through terminals 223 and 222 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at a branch portion protruding toward the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at a bent portion. The other end of the second line conductor 132 is electrically connected to one end of the first line conductor 131 by a connection conductor 141.

[0067] The first line conductor 131 is connected to through terminals 224, 225 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at branch portions 131C1, 131C2 that protrude toward the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 at the bent portion, and the other end of the first line conductor 131 is an open end 131D.

[0068] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of a line pattern constituting the transmission line 150 housed in the container 101 of Fig. 6. The transmission line 150 includes a first line conductor 131 and a second line conductor 132, which are strip-shaped lines.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 7, in the first line conductor 131, one end of the first line 131A1 is connected to one end of the connection conductor 141, and the other end is connected to one end of the first bent portion 131B1.

[0070] The first bent portion 131B1 has a branch portion 131C1 (connection portion). The tip of the branch portion 131C1 is connected to an output through terminal 224 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, and constitutes an output port of the first layer parallel line 111. Although not particularly limited, the branch portion 131C1 extends downward at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface 204 of the container 101, for example, and its tip is connected to the through terminal 224.

[0071] In the first line conductor 131, the other end of the first bent portion 131B1 is connected to one end of a second line 131A2 extending parallel to the first line 131A1, and the other end of the second line 131A2 is connected to one end of the second bent portion 131B2.

[0072] In the first line conductor 131, the other end of the second bent portion 131B2 is connected to a third line 131A3 extending parallel to the second line 131A2, and the other end of the third line 131A3 is connected to one end of the third bent portion 131B3.

[0073] In the first line conductor 131, the third bent portion 131B3 has a branch portion 131C2 (connection portion). The tip of the branch portion 131C2 is connected to an output through terminal 225 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, and constitutes an output port of the first layer parallel line 111. Although not particularly limited, the branch portion 131C2 extends downward at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface 204 of the container 101, for example, and its tip is connected to the through terminal 224.

[0074] In the first line conductor 131, the other end of the third bent portion 131B3 is connected to one end of a fourth line 131A4 extending parallel to the third line 131A3, and the other end of the fourth line 131A4 is an open end 131D.

[0075] One end of the first line 132A1 of the second line conductor 132, the other end of which is connected to the other end of the connection conductor 141, is connected to one end of the first bent portion 132B1. The first bent portion 132B1 of the second line conductor 132 has a branch portion 132C1 (connection portion). The tip of the branch portion 132C1 is connected to an output feed-through terminal 223 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, and constitutes an output port of the second-layer parallel line 112. Although not particularly limited, the branch portion 132C1 extends upward at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface 204 of the container 101, for example, and its tip is connected to the feed-through terminal 223.

[0076] In the second line conductor 132, the other end of the first bent portion 132B1 is connected to one end of a second line 132A2 extending parallel to the first line 132A1. The other end of the second line 132A2 is connected to one end of the second bent portion 132B2, and the other end of the second bent portion 132B2 is connected to a third line 132A3 extending parallel to the second line 132A2.

[0077] In the second line conductor 132, the other end of the third line 132A3 is connected to one end of the third bent portion 132B3. The third bent portion 132B3 has a branch portion 132C2 (connection portion). The tip of the branch portion 132C2 is connected to an output through terminal 222 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, and constitutes an output port of the parallel line 112 of the second layer. Although not particularly limited, the branch portion 132C2 extends upward at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface 204 of the container 101, for example, and its tip is connected to the through terminal 222.

[0078] In the second line conductor 132, the other end of the third bent portion 132B3 is connected to one end of a fourth line 132A4 that extends parallel to the third line 132A3.

[0079] In the second line conductor 132, the other end of the fourth line 132A4 is connected to one end of the connection portion 132C3, and the connection portion 132C3 extends diagonally upward and is connected to a through terminal 221 provided on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, thereby forming an input port to the parallel line 112 of the second layer.

[0080] The shape of the line pattern of the second line conductor 132, excluding the connection portion 132C3, overlaps with that of the first line conductor 131. The connection portion 132C3 extends obliquely upward from the connection portion of the second line conductor 132 with the fourth line 132A4 at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface 206 of the container 101, and the other end of the connection portion 132C3 is connected to the feed-through terminal 221 on the side surface (dielectric side wall) of the container 101, thereby forming an input port of the parallel line. The connection portion 132C3 has a tapered shape in which the line width gradually increases as it approaches the feed-through terminal 221.

[0081] FIG. 8 is an assembly diagram showing a schematic exploded view of the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the container 101 shown in FIG. 6 . The insulating fluid is also not shown in FIG. 8 . The first-layer parallel line 111 is arranged in a region sandwiched between the flat conductor forming the top surface 201 of the container 101, which constitutes the external conductor, and the first flat conductor 121, which constitutes the external conductor, and a first line conductor 131, which serves as an internal conductor, is spaced apart from the flat conductor. With the above configuration, the first-layer parallel line 111 constitutes a transmission line structure known as a strip line, as a parallel line having a pair of electrodes, the external conductor and the internal conductor. The first flat conductor 121 is electrically connected to the side surfaces 202 and 203 (metal side walls) of the container 101 via conductive portions 211 and 212.

[0082] Furthermore, an insulating fluid (not shown) is filled between the flat conductor forming the top surface 201 of the container 101 and the first line conductor 131, and between the first line conductor 131 and the first flat conductor 121. The parallel line 112 of the second layer is configured similarly to the parallel line 111 of the first layer described above. However, the parallel line 112 of the second layer has a feed-through terminal 221 provided on the side surface 206 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101 as an input port for a high-voltage pulse to the parallel line. The first line conductor 131 also has an open end 131D, where the high-voltage pulse is totally reflected. The parallel line 111 of the first layer is provided with an output port. The first line conductor 131 and the second line conductor 132 are connected by a connecting conductor 141, allowing a high-voltage pulse to be transmitted between the parallel line 111 of the first layer and the parallel line 112 of the second layer.

[0083] As illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8, the second line conductor 132 and the first line conductor 131 have bending portions 132B1 and 132B2, and bending portions 131B1 and 131B2 have branch portions (branch lines) 132C1 and 132C2 and branch portions (branch lines) 131C1 and 131C2, respectively, and output a high-voltage pulse to the outside of the container 101 via through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225 provided on the side surface 204 (dielectric side wall) of the container 101.

[0084] In this embodiment, the number of through terminals on the output side is four, but this is not limited to this. With the above configuration, two layers of parallel lines are stacked and connected in container 101 filled with insulating fluid (not shown), thereby forming a transmission line structure.

[0085] The first and second flat conductors 121 and 122 and the first to third line conductors 131, 132, and 133 may be made of, for example, Cu (copper) or Al (aluminum). Note that if pure water is used as the insulating fluid, it will easily dissolve metals such as copper, making it impossible to maintain insulation, so the conductor surfaces are coated with fluororesin or the like.

[0086] The insulating fluid 105 may be pure water, a solution of pure water mixed with a polymer, insulating gas such as SF6, or other insulating oil, silicone oil, or thermoplastic resin used in molding.

[0087] The material of the side surfaces 204, 206 (dielectric side walls) of the container 101 may be HDPE (High-density polyethylene), ceramic, PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene), reinforced PTFE, etc. As an airtight sealing structure for the insulating fluid, the outer periphery may be flanged and fastened with, for example, an O-ring to seal the insulating fluid. The O-ring is preferably made of fluororesin to prevent impurities from being mixed into the insulating fluid.

[0088] The flat conductors constituting the upper surface 201 (lid) and lower surface 205 (bottom) of the container 101 may be metal conductors made of the same material and of the same size and thickness as the first and second flat conductors 121 and 122. In this case, in terms of the mechanical strength of the container 101 and the airtight sealing of the insulating fluid, the upper surface 201 (lid) and lower surface 205 (bottom) of the container 101 may be made of HDPE or ceramic, and flat conductors may be fixed to the inner surfaces of the upper surface 201 (lid) and lower surface 205 (bottom) facing the first and second flat conductors 121 and 122, respectively.

[0089] In the above embodiment, examples where the number n of flat conductors housed in the container 101 is 2 and 1 have been described. However, similar configurations are possible for cases where n>2, such as n=3. When n=3, for example, in FIG. 1 , a flat conductor is added between the third line conductor 133 and the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 in parallel to the bottom surface 205 of the container 101, and a line conductor having the same line pattern (planar pattern) as the first to third line conductors is inserted between the added flat conductor and the bottom surface 205 of the container 101. Instead of the connection portion 133C to which the end of the third line conductor 133 in FIG. 1 is connected, a connection conductor may be provided to connect to the end of the inserted line conductor, and a connection portion may be provided at another end of the inserted line conductor to connect to the feed-through terminal 222 on the side surface 203 of the container 101. In this case, first to fourth layers of parallel lines are configured.

[0090] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a pulse power supply 300 having the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. A pulse power supply 310 generates a high-voltage pulse, such as a Marx-type high-voltage pulse power supply. The output of the pulse power supply 310 is connected to one end of an input-side gap switch 330. The other end of the gap switch 330 is connected to a feed-through terminal 221 of the container 101. The feed-through terminal 221 of the container 101 is connected to a second line conductor 132, and is connected to feed-through terminals 221 and 222 of the container 101 via branch portions 132C2 and 132C1 of the second line conductor 132, and is connected to a first line conductor 131 via a connecting conductor 141. The first line conductor 131 is connected to feed-through terminals 223 and 224 of the container 101 via branch portions 131C1 and 131C2, and the end opposite to the end connected to the connecting conductor 141 is an open end 131D.

[0091] The through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225 of the container 101 are connected to one end of each of the four gap switches of the output-side interlocked gap switch 340, and the other ends of the four gap switches are commonly connected to a load 350. The load 350 is formed of a high-frequency conversion device or the like.

[0092] The four gap switches can be closed almost simultaneously by inputting an external trigger signal to the output-side interlocked gap switch 340. The gap switches 330, 340 and the transmission line of the container 101 constitute a pulse forming circuit 320.

[0093] Figure 10 shows a state in which the input side gap switch 330 is closed and the output side interlocked gap switch 340 is open. Figure 11 shows a state in which both the input side gap switch 330 and the output side interlocked gap switch 340 are closed.

[0094] In FIG. 10, a high-voltage pulse generated by pulse power supply 310 is input to the transmission line in container 101 through input-side gap switch 330 and feed-through terminal 221. The high-voltage pulse propagates through parallel line 112 (FIG. 6) on the second layer, connecting conductor 141, and parallel line 111 (FIG. 6) on the first layer, and reaches open end 131D. Because open end 131D is an open end, the high-voltage pulse is totally reflected. The totally reflected high-voltage pulse then turns around and propagates through parallel line 111 on the first layer, connecting conductor 141, and parallel line 112 on the second layer, returning to the input side. In this way, when the pulse width of the high-voltage pulse supplied from pulse power supply 310 is longer than twice the electrical length of the transmission line, incident and reflected waves of the high-voltage pulse travel along the transmission line, causing charging. FIG. 11 shows the situation after a trigger signal is input and the output-side gap switch is closed at the time of charging.

[0095] In FIG. 11 , incident and reflected waves branch at the feed-through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225, and some of the waves are combined and output from the feed-through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225. To minimize the amount of signal that is not output, it is desirable to increase the characteristic impedance of the parallel lines 111 and 112 on the first layer compared to the input impedance of the load 350 from the feed-through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225. The high-voltage pulses output from the feed-through terminals 222, 223, 224, and 225 are combined after exiting the closed output-side interlocked gap switch 340. This combined high-voltage pulse is input to the load 350. Therefore, by shortening the pulse width, the pulse-forming circuit 320 can increase the peak power of the high-voltage pulse output from the pulsed power source 310 by up to eight times, ignoring losses in each component and discrepancies in the timing of closing the gap switches.

[0096] Next, in the pulsed power supply device 300, it is desirable to match the output impedance of the pulsed power supply 310 to the characteristic impedance of the parallel lines 111 of the first layer and the parallel lines 112 of the second layer so that the high voltage pulse output from the pulsed power supply 310 is not reflected by the feed-through terminal 221. In this embodiment, "impedance matched" refers to a state in which the voltage standing wave ratio is 1.3 or less, preferably 1.2 or less, and more preferably 1.05 or less.

[0097] With the above configuration, the pulse power supply device 300 can shape the waveform of the high voltage pulse output from the pulse power supply 310 to increase the output.

[0098] For comparison, consider the case where eight times the output is obtained by increasing the output of a pulsed power supply. In the case of a Marx power supply, the electrostatic energy stored in the capacitor bank within the Marx power supply is roughly proportional to the volume or mass it occupies. When this electrostatic energy is increased, the output typically increases, as does the pulse width. In other words, the output typically increases in proportion to the square root of the energy. Therefore, to obtain eight times the output using only a pulsed power supply, a volume or mass that is 64 times larger is typically required. Furthermore, as pulsed power supplies become larger and more energetic, their charging and cooling circuits also become larger. In particular, since the cooling power of cooling circuits such as fins is only proportional to the surface area, it is expected that cooling 64 times the energy will require significantly larger components.

[0099] On the other hand, in the present disclosure, eight times the output can be obtained by simply adding the pulse forming circuit 320 of the present disclosure to the same pulsed power supply 310. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, the transmission line can be made smaller, which in turn allows the pulse forming circuit 320 and the pulsed power supply 300 to be made smaller.

[0100] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating yet another example of an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 12, the container 101 of FIG. 1 is housed in a second container 102. The second container 102 is filled with an insulating fluid (not shown). At least one of the upper surface 201, the lower surface 205, and the side surfaces 202, 203, 204, and 206 of the container 101 has a communication means for circulating the insulating fluid 105. Within the container 101, the first to third line conductors 131-133 and the first and second flat conductors 121 and 122 are immersed in the insulating fluid, and each line conductor is disposed opposite the flat conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween. In FIG. 12, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description of the same elements will be omitted. The container 102 may be made of a dielectric material such as resin or ceramic. 12, in container 102, a side surface 246 (dielectric side wall) facing side surface 206 of container 101 is provided with through terminals 241 and 242, and through holes (holes) 221A and 222A are provided at the positions of through terminals 221 and 222 in side surface 206 of container 101 in FIG. 1, and connecting portion 131C of first line conductor 131 and connecting portion 133C of third line conductor 133 extend through through holes 221A and 222A, respectively, and are connected to through terminals 241 and 242 in side surface 246 (dielectric side wall). Through holes (holes) 221A and 222A allow connecting portions 131C and 133C to pass through, respectively, and may also function as communication holes for circulating insulating fluid 105. With this configuration, the container 101 that confines the high voltage pulse and the container 102 that is filled with the insulating fluid can be manufactured as separate components, which facilitates design and manufacturing.

[0101] Figures 13(A) and 13(B) are schematic cross-sectional views of Figure 12, and correspond to Figures 5(B) and 5(C), which are schematic cross-sectional views taken along the arrows A-A' and B-B' in Figure 5(A), respectively. Figure 13(C) schematically shows a further modified example of Figure 13(B).

[0102] In the example described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the container 101 is filled and sealed with an insulating fluid (105 in FIG. 5). However, as shown in FIG. 13(A), the container 101 is housed in a second container 102 filled with the insulating fluid 105. At least one of the top surface 201 and the bottom surface 205 of the container 101 and the side surfaces 202, 203, 204, and 206 has a communication means for circulating the insulating fluid 105 between the second container 102 and the container 101. As the communication means for circulating the insulating fluid 105, for example, the top surface 201 and / or the bottom surface 205 (flat conductor) of the container 101 may be formed of a metal mesh plate. Furthermore, one or more through holes (communication holes) may be provided in at least one of the side surfaces 206 and 204 (dielectric sidewalls) and the side surfaces 202 and 203 (conductor sidewalls) of the container 101.

[0103] 13(B), a through hole 222A is provided in the side surface 206 (dielectric side surface) of the container 101 at the position of the through terminal 222 in FIG. 5(B). A connection portion 133C to which one end of the third line conductor 133 is connected extends through the through hole 222A in the side surface 206 of the container 101 and is connected to the through terminal 242 in the side surface 246 of the second container 102. The side surface 246 of the second container 102 facing the side surface 206 of the container 101 may be a dielectric.

[0104] 13(C), the side surfaces 206 and 204 (dielectric side surfaces) of the container 101 may be the corresponding side surfaces of the second container 102. This configuration allows for cheaper manufacturing compared to the configuration shown in FIG.

[0105] The disclosures of Patent Document 1 and Reference Document 1 are incorporated herein by reference. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure (including the claims) and based on the basic technical ideas of the present disclosure. Furthermore, various combinations and selections of the various disclosed elements (including elements of each claim, each element of each example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the claims. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible for a person skilled in the art based on the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical ideas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 101 Container 102 Second Container 105 Insulating fluid 111 Parallel tracks on the first layer 112 Second layer parallel tracks 113 Third layer parallel tracks 121 First flat conductor 122 Second flat conductor 131 First line conductor 131A1 First Track 131A2 Second Track 131A3 Third Track 131A4 Fourth Track 131B1 First bending portion 131B2 Second bending portion 131B3 Third bend 131C connection 131C1 Branch 131C2 Branch 131D open end 132 Second line conductor 132A1 First Track 132A2 Second Track 132A3 Third Track 132A4 Fourth Track 132B1 First bending portion 132B2 Second bending portion 132B3 Third bend 132C1 Branch 132C2 Branch 132C3 Connection 133 Third Line Conductor 133A1 First Track 133A2 Second Track 133A3 Third Track 133A4 Fourth Track 133B1 First bending portion 133B2 Second bending portion 133B3 Third bend 133C connection 141 connecting conductor (first connecting conductor) 142 connecting conductor (second connecting conductor) 150 Transmission Line 201 Top surface (flat conductor) 202 Side (metal side wall) 203 Side (metal side wall) 204 Side (Dielectric) 205 Bottom surface (flat conductor) 206 Side (Dielectric) 211~214 Conductive part 221~225 Feed-through terminal 221A, 222A through hole 231~234 Creepage distance 241, 242 Feed-through terminal 246 Side 300 Pulse Power Supply 310 Pulse Power Supply 320 Pulse forming circuit 330 Gap switch (input side gap switch) 340 Gap switch (output side interlocked type gap switch) 350 load

Claims

1. The insulating fluid is immersed in a container and includes n (n is an integer of 1 or more) flat conductors and first to (n+1)th line conductors, When n is 2 or more, the n flat plate conductors include first to n-th flat plate conductors that are spaced apart from each other along a direction from a first surface of the container to a second surface of the container that faces the first surface in parallel, and are arranged parallel to the flat plate conductors that form the first surface of the container; When n is 1, a first flat conductor is provided parallel to the flat conductor constituting the first surface of the container, the flat conductor constituting the first surface of the container, the first line conductor arranged parallel to the flat conductor constituting the first surface of the container with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the first flat conductor arranged parallel to the first line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, form a first parallel line; the nth flat plate conductor, the (n+1)th line conductor arranged parallel to the nth flat plate conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and the flat plate conductor constituting the second surface of the container arranged parallel to the (n+1)th line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, form an (n+1)th parallel line; When n is 2 or more, for each integer i of 1 or more and (n-1) or less, an i-th flat plate conductor, an (i+1)-th line conductor arranged parallel to the i-th flat plate conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween, and an (i+1)-th flat plate conductor arranged parallel to the (i+1)-th line conductor with the insulating fluid interposed therebetween constitute an (i+1)-th parallel line; The ends of the line conductors of adjacent parallel lines are connected to each other by connecting conductors, one end of either the first line conductor or the (n+1)th line conductor is connected to the signal input portion via a tapered first connection portion that is provided on a third surface or a fourth surface of the container facing each other and that widens toward the signal input portion, one end of the other of the first line conductor and the (n+1)th line conductor is connected to the signal output portion via a tapered second connection portion that is provided on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container and that widens toward the signal output portion, the other of the first line conductor and the (n+1)th line conductor has one or more connection portions connected to one or more signal output portions provided on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container, and at least one of the line conductors other than the other has one or more connection portions connected to one or more signal output portions provided on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container, each of the n flat conductors is electrically connected to at least one of a fifth surface and a sixth surface of the container, which are made of conductors facing each other, and is at a common potential with the flat conductor constituting the first surface of the container and the flat conductor constituting the second surface of the container; The signal input section and the signal output section are each disposed at a predetermined position on the third surface and / or the fourth surface of the container at which a creepage distance is ensured.

2. the third surface and the fourth surface of the container are made of a dielectric material; the signal input unit has a through terminal provided at the predetermined position on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container, The transmission line according to claim 1 , wherein the signal output portion has a feed-through terminal provided at the predetermined position on the third surface or the fourth surface of the container.

3. The first to (n+1)th line conductors are each a first line extending in a predetermined direction; a bent portion having one end connected to the one line; a second line connected to the other end of the bent portion; The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a transmission line having one or more sets of track patterns, 2. The transmission line according to claim 1, wherein the bent portions of the line patterns of one set and the line patterns of an adjacent set are arranged opposite to each other, and the second line of the line pattern of the one set is the first line of the line pattern of the adjacent set.

4. The n is 2, The first line conductor, the second line conductor, and the third line conductor, which are the first to (n+1)th line conductors, respectively, have line patterns as follows: a first line extending in a predetermined direction; a first bending portion that bends back the first line; a second line extending from the first bent portion in parallel to the first line; a second bending portion that bends back the second line; a third line extending from the second bent portion in parallel to the second line; a third bending portion that bends back the third line; a fourth line extending from the third bent portion in parallel to the third line; and the second line and the third line have the same length; In the first line conductor, an end of the first line opposite to the first bent portion is connected to the first connection portion, which extends at a predetermined angle toward a through terminal that forms the signal input portion and is provided on the third surface of the container, and is tapered and widens toward the through terminal that forms the signal input portion; In the third line conductor, one end of the fourth line opposite to the third bent portion extends at a predetermined angle toward the through terminal that forms the signal output portion provided on the third surface of the container and is connected to the tapered second connection portion that expands toward the through terminal that forms the signal output portion. an end of the first line conductor opposite to the third bent portion of the fourth line is electrically connected to an end of the second line conductor opposite to the third bent portion of the fourth line by a first connecting conductor; 2. The transmission line according to claim 1, wherein an end of the second line conductor opposite the first bent portion of the first line is electrically connected to an end of the third line conductor opposite the first bent portion of the first line by a second connecting conductor.

5. The n is 1, The first line conductor and the second line conductor, which are the first to (n+1)th line conductors, respectively, have line patterns as follows: a first line extending in a predetermined direction; a first bending portion that bends back the first line; a second line extending from the first bent portion in parallel to the first line; a second bending portion that bends back the second line; a third line extending from the second bent portion in parallel to the second line; a third bending portion that bends back the third line; a fourth line extending from the third bent portion in parallel to the third line; and the second line and the third line have the same length; In the second line conductor, an end of the fourth line opposite to the third bent portion is connected to the first connection portion, which extends at a predetermined angle toward a through terminal that forms the signal input portion and is provided on the third surface of the container, and is tapered and widens toward the through terminal that forms the signal input portion; In the second line conductor, the third bent portion and the first bent portion include the connection portion branched from the third bent portion and the first bent portion, respectively; the connection portions of the third bent portion and the first bent portion are provided on the fourth surface of the container and are connected to first and second through terminals that constitute the signal output portion, respectively; an end of the first line conductor opposite to the first bent portion of the first line is electrically connected to an end of the second line conductor opposite to the first bent portion of the first line by the connecting conductor; In the first line conductor, the first bent portion and the third bent portion include the connection portion branched from the third bent portion and the first bent portion, respectively, and the connection portions of the first bent portion and the third bent portion are provided on the fourth surface of the container and connected to third and fourth through terminals that constitute the signal output portion, The transmission line according to claim 1 , wherein one end of said first line conductor opposite said third bent portion of said fourth line is an open end.

6. 2. The transmission line according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first to n-th flat conductors is made of a metal mesh flat plate.

7. 2. The transmission line according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first to (n+1)th line conductors has a cross section with rounded corners or an elliptical or circular cross section with no corners.

8. The insulating fluid is filled and sealed in the container, or 2. The transmission line according to claim 1, wherein the container is housed in a second container filled with the insulating fluid, at least one of the first to sixth surfaces of the container has a communication hole through which the insulating fluid flows, and the third surface and / or the fourth surface of the container is shared with a corresponding surface of the second container or is disposed spaced apart from the corresponding surface of the second container.

9. A transmission line according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a first switch connected to the signal input of the transmission line; A pulse forming circuit comprising one or more switches connected to one or more of the signal outputs of the transmission line.

10. a pulse forming circuit according to claim 9; a pulse power supply connected to the first switch of the pulse forming circuit; A pulse power supply device comprising:

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