Fast Silicon Carbide MOSFET based high-voltage push-pull switch for charge state separation of highly charged ions with a Bradbury-Nielsen Gate

Abstract

In this paper we report on the development of a fast high-voltage switch, which is based on two enhancement mode N-channel Silicon Carbide Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors in push-pull configuration. The switch is capable of switching high voltages up to 600 V on capacitive loads with rise and fall times on the order of 10 ns and pulse widths $\leq$ 20 ns. Using this switch it was demonstrated that from the charge state distribution of bunches of highly charged ions ejected from an electron beam ion trap with a specific kinetic energy, single charge states can be separated by fast switching of the high voltage applied to a Bradbury-Nielsen Gate with a resolving power of about 100.