A Bipolar Pulse Generator With High-Voltage Gain Based on Three-level Neutral-Point-Clamped Split-Source Inverter

Abstract

Bipolar pulse generators represent a key element in various biomedical and industrial applications. This article presents a novel high-voltage bipolar pulse generator based on a split-source neutral-point clamped (NPC) inverter. The proposed pulse generator provides operation with low input dc voltage while generating output pulses with a high voltage gain. The boosting action is provided without a dedicated front-end boost converter, positively affecting the system cost. Detailed analysis of the circuit structure and operational concept is presented. Different versions of the proposed generator, namely, single module and multimodule, are presented. The multimodule version can be used to obtain multilevel pulses with higher voltage amplitudes. To validate the performance of the bipolar pulse generator, simulation and experimental results for a down-scaled prototype are presented.