A Modular, Inherently Safe High-Frequency Bipolar Nanosecond Pulse Generator for Complex Dynamic Biological Loads

This paper presents a modular, high-frequency bipolar nanosecond pulse generator (nsPG) featuring a dual-layer intrinsic safety design for complex dynamic biological loads. The proposed hybrid architecture synergistically integrates a solid-state Marx generator with a step-up pulse transformer, creating a compact and component-efficient power electronics platform. Key innovations include an inductor-based charging scheme that halves the semiconductor switch count and a multi-faceted passive protection strategy that not only leverages the transformer's volt-second limit to suppress long-pulse faults but also architecturally precludes catastrophic DC shoot-through failures. The prototype delivers a flexible output of 0-±11 kV and 100–500 ns pulses with a 500 kHz burst frequency, achieving an electrical efficiency of 94.85% on resistive loads. Crucially, the generator's robustness was validated throughin vivoandex vivoexperiments. The results demonstrated that the nsPG maintained exceptional waveform fidelity despite a drastic 80.27% impedance collapse in the potato model (from 2.488 kΩ to 491.0 Ω at 10 kHz) and a 6.17% real-time dynamic reduction in the mouse model (from 412.0 Ω to 386.6 Ω over the initial ten pulses). This work demonstrates a robust and safe power electronics solution for a broad class of complex, low-impedance loads, positioning it as a key enabling technology for a challenging class of emerging industrial and scientific applications.