HiTek Power and e2v technologies have announced a collaborative program to develop a range of highly efficient, power-factor corrected high-voltage power supplies for use in inductive output tube (IOT) RF amplifier systems.
Although traditionally used in UHF television transmitters, the new systems are being designed for applications in ultra-high brightness continuous and pulsed radiation research laboratories.
The new e2v RF IOT system will initially be used as an RF source for use in the 4th Generation Light Source (4GLS) Energy Recovery Linac Prototype (ERLP) that is being built at the Daresbury Laboratory. The ERLP will serve as a test bed for the research and development needed for the design study of the 4GLS. The ERLP will be a key part of the world-leading 4GLS facility, which will deliver a suite of radiation sources covering the terahertz to soft X-ray regimes. 4GLS will enable the study of real-time molecular processes and reactions on timescales down to tens of femtoseconds, with the emphasis on molecular and device function.
Similar installations being developed elsewhere will also be target markets for the e2v system using the HiTek power supply.
The power supply initially being developed by HiTek for the e2v system is based on its established topology and will supply up to 28kV at up to 1.2A. This solid-state unit will be subject to the tight space constraints of the overall system.
HiTek Power officials said the company has worked closely with e2v, making significant modifications to its standard supply and is developing it even further as the overall system specification evolves. An IOT, coupler, solid-state amplifier and ancillary power supplies, together with complex interfacing, are then added to the HiTek supply by e2v, resulting in a system that takes AC in and produces tightly controlled RF out. This program allows e2v to offer a fully integrated system from wall plug to the RF load, using its tubes.
