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Completed TRL 1 (started at 1, targeting 3)
High voltage (HV) power supplies are ubiquitous in planetary and heliophysics instruments featuring in everything from faraday cups and retarding potential analyzers to mass spectrometers, and laser amplifiers. Most high voltage power supplies feature a voltage multiplier in the form of a multi-stage diode-capacitor charge pump. These multipliers are subject to high fields stresses and thus require careful shaping to prevent field concentration and overstress of the surrounding dielectrics. Moreover, frequently these multipliers require potting, embedment within a solid dielectric, which subjects them to mechanical stress due to differences in thermal coefficients of expansion between the elements of the components themselves and the potting in which they are embedded. These stresses represent a significant historical source of component failure as well as dielectric failure and avoidance of these failures has relied on long experience of skilled technicians in shaping each component’s leads by hand leading to a lack of achievable consistency in multiplier assemblies. This project proposal seeks to improve the repeatability of these assemblies by providing a consistent method of lead forming for diodes. The proposed method is both an approach to calculating the relevant strain relief lengths and angles as well as producing an associated lead forming jig to ensure consistent manufacture.
Given the ubiquity of high voltage power supplies in flight instrumentation and the frequency with which high voltage failure leads to degradation of science on mission, developments which reduce the occurrence of these failures in a reliable and repeatable manner are of great value both in meeting mission development milestones as well as successfully achieving maximum science payoff for any given instrument. By creating a standard procedure for the development and use of a standardized lead forming fixture that allows a technician to assemble multipliers in a repeatable uniform manner, these gains can be realized across a wide variety of instruments requiring high voltage.
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