Pulse generator

Claim 1

A PULSE GENERATOR COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID SWITCHING ELEMENTS HAVING AN ANODE, A CATHODE, AND A CONTROL ELECTRODE, THE IMPEDANCE BETWEEN SAID ANODE AND CATHODE BEING SWITCHED FROM A HIGH VALUE TO A LOW VALUE BY THE FLOW OF CONTROL CURRENT FROM THE CONTROL ELECTRODE TO THE CATHODE OF SAID SWITCHING ELEMENT, AN OUTPUT IMPEDANCE CONNECTED BETWEEN THE CATHODE OF SAID FIRST SWITCHING ELEMENT AND A COMMON VOLTAGE REFERENCE POINT, A PULSE FORMING NETWORK HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE CATHODE OF SAID SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENT, IMPEDANCE MEANS FOR COUPLING A POSITIVE VOLTAGE TO THE PLATES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR COUPLING A NEGATIVE VOLTAGE TO THE OTHER END OF SAID PULSE FORMING NETWORK, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY APPLYING FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL SIGNALS TO THE CONTROL ELECTRODES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST CONTROL SIGNAL CAUSING SAID FIRST SWITCHING ELEMENT TO CONDUCT THEREBY PRODUCING AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE PULSE ACROSS SAID OUTPUT IMPEDANCE, SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL CAUSING SAID SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENT TO CONDUCT THEREBY RENDERING SAID FIRST SWITCHING ELEMENT NONCONDUCTIVE AND ABRUPTLY REDUCING SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE TO ZERO, THE INTERVAL BETWEEN THE APPLICATIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL SIGNALS DETERMINING THE DURATION OF SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE PULSE, THE REFLECTED PULSE PRODUCED BY SAID PULSE FORMING NETWORK RENDERING SAID SECOND SWITCHING ELEMENT NON-CONDUCTIVE A PREDETERMINED INTERVAL AFTER APPLICATION OF SAID SECOND CONTROL SIGNAL THERETO.