Optical Isolation Transformer for Pulsed Power Applications

Described is a system that can provide electrical power to stacks of switching circuits while maintaining exceptional isolation between high voltage planes. High power laser diode bars are used to illuminate highly efficient photovoltaic cells. This is accomplished using efficient and cost-effective lens ducts and optical fiber segments. Such a system can be very efficient in transmitting optical power to the photocell. Using a glass lens duct we can achieve a theoretical isolation of 200 kV using a unit no bigger than a conventional dc-dc converter with isolation of only 50 kV. The trade off being total electrical efficiency, which is predicted to still be as high as 44 percent