Leader in Pulsed Power
ITOPP
ITOPP specializes in the design, development, manufacturing, testing and operation of Pulsed Power systems
With decades of experience in pulsed-power engineering, ITOPP has developed recognized expertise in the design, integration, and optimization of pulsed power systems, including Marx generators, Linear Transformer Drivers (LTDs), and advanced capacitor bank architectures.
ITOPP supports defense and security, nuclear deterrence, and energy programs through the development of advanced Pulsed Power systems, complemented by strong competencies in high-power microwave equipment.
By compressing pulse duration while maintaining constant energy, pulsed-power technology enables the generation of extremely high peak power levels—delivering exceptional electrical performance for demanding scientific, industrial, and strategic applications.
Operating exclusively on a custom-engineering basis, ITOPP develops and manufactures complete, fully integrated systems adapted to each client’s specific technical requirements and operational constraints. Its solutions are designed to ensure performance, reliability, and precision in the most challenging applications.
Marx Generator
First introduced by Erwin Marx in 1925 for high-voltage component testing, the Marx generator is a well-established pulsed-power topology based on voltage multiplication.
The system operates by charging multiple capacitors in parallel to a defined voltage and subsequently discharging them in series through synchronized switching, most commonly using gas-filled spark gaps, while solid-state switches such as thyristors may be employed in lower voltage or power configurations. In an N-stage Marx generator, the theoretical output voltage scales linearly with the number of stages, reaching levels from a few kilovolts up to several megavolts. Marx generators can be designed for a wide range of operating regimes, from low-energy trigger sources to high-energy systems storing several hundred kilojoules, delivering fast pulses with durations ranging from a few nanoseconds to a few microseconds in single-shot or repetitive modes.
ITOPP Know-How in Marx Generator Technology
With more than 25 years of experience, ITOPP has developed advanced expertise in the engineering, optimization, and maintenance of Marx generator systems, including stage architecture, switching synchronization, insulation, and pulse shaping, enabling the adaptation of existing designs or the development of fully customized generators tailored to specific voltage, current, repetition rate, and application requirements.
Linear Transformer Driver
The Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology allows a direct attack of the load without shaping the output pulse. The pulses produced may have pulse durations of between 1 μs and less than 100 ns, output voltages greater than mega volts and / or currents exceeding a mega amp.
Simple, compact and modular, this technology is perfectly suited to numerous research applications where a large current or voltage is required, such as:
- Plasma physics with a large range of densities and temperatures;
- studying of intense particle beams;
- creation of extreme conditions in matter.
With a similar principle to that used in the IVA (Inductive Voltage Adder), LTD technology has a number of advantages:
- Compactness;
- limited requirements for utilities;
- modularity and simplicity;
- adaptability to a broad range of load impedances;
- reduced manufacturing, operating and maintenance costs.
ITOPP has developed strong and distinctive know-how in Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology, covering the full chain from conceptual design to experimental validation. Building on a modular and scalable architecture, ITOPP masters the design of high-performance LTD stages capable of delivering extremely fast, high-current and high-voltage pulses with precise control of pulse shape. This expertise includes capacitor integration, low-inductance switching, magnetic core optimization, and system assembly, enabling compact, robust, and reliable pulsed-power generators. Through multiple large-scale demonstrators and advanced applications such as flash X-ray sources and ultra-fast diagnostics, ITOPP has proven its ability to adapt LTD technology to demanding scientific and industrial environments.
Capacitor bank
With decades of experience, ITOPP has developed deep expertise in the design, integration, and maintenance of capacitor bank systems. These systems store large amounts of electrical energy and release it over very short timescales, using multiple capacitors arranged in series and/or parallel to meet specific voltage, current, and energy requirements.
ITOPP designs and manufactures capacitor banks tailored to customer needs, taking into account charging voltage, stored energy, pulse duration and shape, number of successive pulses, operating frequency, and environmental conditions. Each system integrates all necessary functions for operation, control, maintenance, and safety, including energy storage, switching and tripping, pulse shaping, capacitor charging, and comprehensive safety features.
This expertise is applied across a wide range of applications, such as:
- High power lasers;
- study of magnetic fields;
- pulsed electric fields;
- pulsed magnetic fields.
ITOPP can adapt existing capacitor bank architectures or develop fully customized solutions to meet specific performance, safety, and robustness requirements, while ensuring ease of handling and seamless integration with other pulsed power subsystems.
High Power Microwave
High Power Microwaves constitute an emerging threat from the battlefields. The intense electromagnetic fields that are radiated by such effectors can effectively disturb and even destroy electronic systems. In order to preserve, in the medium term, the operational character of certain pieces of equipment that carry electronic cards, it is essential to evaluate their vulnerability. Protective measures can then be put in place.
ITOPP has mastered all the technological elements making up high power microwave equipment.
High-Power Microwave Equipment
Power Supply
Electrical grid | Battery | Power generator
Pulsed Power Modulator
Marx generator | LIA | LTD (Linear Transformer Driver)
Microwave Source
BWO | Vircator | Milo | Magnetron
Antenna
Cornet | Dipole | Pixel Antenna
ITOPP assists their clients in choosing from the various available solutions to offer optimized equipment. This equipment allows for evaluation of technologies and offers the possibility to conduct system vulnerability testing when faced with electromagnetic attacks.
Specific Pulsed Power Components
Switching
ITOPP has developed a comprehensive range of components and instruments for pulsed power systems, with particular expertise in switching technologies. As a specialist in fast switching, ITOPP offers a range of tailored switches designed to meet the specific requirements of its customers.
The key parameters to be defined to select the optimized solution are:
- Operating voltage
- Maximum current
- Transferred charge (number of coulombs)
- Pulse duration
- Acceptable jitter
- Operating frequency
- Available volume
ITOPP can deliver gas switches (all types of spark gaps), vacuum switches (thyratrons or pseudospark), or solid switches.
The company also designs measurement sensors, high-power charge and discharge units, and pre-magnetized bays, complementing its core switching capabilities.
