Arrangement for generating pulsed currents with a high repetition rate and high current strength for gas discharge pumped radiation sources

An arrangement for generating pulsed currents for gas discharge pumped radiation sources with a combination comprising:

• a voltage source;
• a charging circuit for a capacitor bank for generating voltage pulses;
• a magnetic compression circuit for shortening the pulse duration of the voltage pulses;
• a discharge chamber with two electrodes for the gas discharge;
• and
• a trigger unit for controlling the voltage pulse sequence;
• said charging circuit being an LC inversion charging circuit which communicates with a DC voltage source that provides only one half of the high voltage required for the gas discharge;
• said inversion charging circuit having two capacitors forming a capacitor bank;
• a first capacitor of the capacitor bank being arranged directly parallel to the DC voltage source and a second capacitor of the capacitor bank for being charged simultaneously by a nonsaturable charging inductor;
• and
• said first capacitor for being recharged by a switch communicating with the trigger unit by a saturable recharging inductor;
• wherein, after charging with the switch closed, a recharging of the first capacitor takes place with the switch open, as a result of which the full high voltage required for triggering a current pulse is provided at the capacitor bank, said current pulse being provided by said magnetic compression circuit for transfer to the electrodes for the gas discharge in said discharge chamber.