An Ultrashort Electric Field Pulse Generator using Avalanche Breakdown Transistors and the Open Circuit Transmission Line Technique for Nanosecond Electroporation

An ultrashort electric field pulse generator based on relatively slow charging and ultrafast discharging of a co-axial transmission line in conjunction with a stack of low-cost avalanche breakdown transistors which operate as a fast switching element has been designed and built. This low-cost circuit design produces well defined ultrashort electric field pulses with symmetrical rise and fall times of less than 2 ns. The pulse duration is determined by the length of the open-circuit transmission line. Initial results indicate that the circuit is capable of generating well defined nanosecond electroporation pulses to support nanosecond-pulse-based applications in biology, medicine and/or in a cost-effective manner.