TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Semiconductor Opening Switches with Pre-Pulses Elimination

Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop its Semiconductor Open Switch with pre-pulses elimination.

Background: A Semiconductor Opening Switch (SOS) is a high-power pulse diode designed to interrupt currents at density levels of up to 10 kA/cm2 in less than 10 nanoseconds. Current state of the art SOSs are widely used as solid-state generators to produce high power laser light, x-rays, and neutron pulses. One of their drawbacks however is that their performance is compromised by the presence of pre-pulses. These unwanted pulses feature long duration time and slow rise time, which degrades the voltage pulse rise time, peak voltage, etc. of the SOS device. There is a need for a different SOS device structure that is able to suppress or eliminate these pre-pulses.

Description: LLNL developed a novel SOS diode structure starting with a n-type silicon wafer. On the appropriate sides of the wafer, donor and acceptor dopants with specifically designed and optimized concentration profiles are diffused in the structure. Crucially, an extra n-region is introduced to the structure to address pre-pulses. The result is a SOS diode with an optimized p+/p/n-base/n+ structure, and an extra layer that has a gradient n-doping. The incorporation of this layer effectively suppresses the pre-pulses, increases peak voltage and reduces pulse rise time. This approach has been validated in optimization simulations.

Advantages/Benefits:

Value Proposition: Improved performance of SOS diodes Vital for compact high voltage pulse generators Potential Applications: Pulsed-power physics Compact high voltage pulse generators High power electronics Development Status: Current stage of technology development: TRL ? 0-2 ? 3-5 ? 5-9 LLNL has filed for patent protection on this invention. LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market.

Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's SOS with pre-pulses elimination should provide an electronic OR written statement of interest, which includes the following:

Company Name and address. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Please provide a complete electronic OR written statement to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's SOS with pre-pulses elimination. The subject heading in an email response should include the Notice ID and/or the title of LLNL’s Technology/Business Opportunity and directed to the Primary and Secondary Point of Contacts listed below. Written responses should be directed to:

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O.

Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA 94551-0808 Attention: IL-13828