Precision high-voltage power supplies (HVPS) · inverter, step-up transformer and voltage multiplier, voltage and current programming, polarity, output discharge time, arc detection and series limiting resistors, and applications from ion implantation to mass spectrometry
A high-voltage power supply (HVPS) turns ordinary mains or DC input into a regulated output of kilovolts at low current, for instruments, detectors, particle and electron beams, electrostatic chucks and similar loads. Ask three things first: what voltage, current and polarity the load needs, whether you will control it as a voltage source or a current source, and how the load behaves (arcing, capacitance, pulsing) and must be made safe.
Regulated high-voltage AC-DC and DC-DC power supplies, from modules to rack units, for instruments, process equipment and test. X-ray generators, pulsed power modulators and utility high-voltage transformers are outside this page except where compared.
01
Spellman High Voltage, an HVPS maker, explains that high voltage is created by controlling an inverter that feeds a step-up transformer connected to a voltage multiplier. The multiplier, an arrangement of capacitors and diodes, charges and discharges capacitors on alternate half-cycles so that the output is the sum of their voltages in series. A high-impedance divider generates the low-level, ground-referenced feedback signal used to regulate the output. [1]
Spellman adds that nearly all its supplies have both voltage and current programming. Users can set current to maximum and control voltage, but a supply can also run as a current source with voltage set to maximum. A working supply should reach full rated voltage into an open circuit. [3]
XP Power, another maker, groups its high-voltage AC-DC supplies and DC-DC converters by application: ion implantation, e-beam lithography, detectors, mass spectrometry, electrostatic chucks, capacitor chargers and SEM/TEM/FIB. [4]
Give the supplier the output voltage and current range, polarity (fixed, reversible or four-quadrant), ripple and stability needed, voltage or current control mode, programming and monitoring interface, input supply, load type (resistive, capacitive, arcing, pulsed), discharge and interlock requirements, cooling and size, and the safety and approval standards that apply.
02
Because the multiplier is capacitive, the output holds charge after switch-off. On a positive supply the diodes only source current, so with no load the feedback divider is the only discharge path. Spellman's example SL60P300 (0–60 kV, 0–5 mA, 300 W) has 2,285 pF multiplier capacitance and a 1,400 MΩ divider. That gives a 3.199 s time constant and about 16 s to discharge to roughly 1.2%. A connected load shortens this, so fall time is load-dependent. [1]
Editorial calculation: 2,285 pF × 1,400 MΩ = 3.199 s, and five time constants is about 16.0 s, matching Spellman's figures.
Spellman's arc intervention senses arc current through a fast current-sense transformer in the multiplier's return. Its purpose is to protect the supply's internal output limiting resistors from continuous, long-term arcing; it is not designed to sense every arc. A large external series limiting resistor may reduce discharge current below the detection threshold, which Spellman says is good for the supply. For applications with heavy continuous arcing, it can regulate on the far side of a customer's external resistor. [2]
03
This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's specification.
| Function | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Inverter | Drives the step-up transformer. [1] | Input supply. |
| Step-up transformer | Raises the voltage. [1] | Insulation; size. |
| Voltage multiplier | Capacitors and diodes sum to the output voltage. [1] | Capacitance; stored energy. |
| Feedback divider | Ground-referenced feedback; no-load discharge path. [1] | Regulation; discharge time. |
| Limiting resistors and arc sensing | Limit and detect arc current. [2] | Arc rate; external resistor. |
| Programming | Voltage and current control. [3] | Interface; mode. |
04
An HVPS quotation needs values for your load. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to ask the supplier for.
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Example: 0–60 kV, 0–5 mA, 300 W. [1] | Rating with margin. |
| Control mode | Voltage source or current source. [3] | Programming resolution. |
| Discharge | Example: 3.199 s time constant with no load. [1] | Discharge circuit; dump. |
| Arcing | Arc detection protects limiting resistors. [2] | Arc handling for your load. |
| Application | Ion implantation, e-beam, detectors, mass spec. [4] | Application-specific models. |
05
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Output: [kV; mA; W; polarity] Performance: [ripple; stability; regulation] Control: [voltage or current mode; interface] Load: [resistive; capacitive; arcing; pulsed] Safety: [interlock; discharge; enclosure] Input: [AC or DC; voltage] Format: [module; chassis; rack]
The manufacturer below lists high-voltage power supplies on its own website; each card links to the page reviewed. Confirm ratings, materials and approvals for your order.
Lists high-voltage power supply modules, micro modules, X-ray tube supplies and rack and tower units.
Product scope checked 2026-10-12
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Spellman describes an inverter feeding a step-up transformer and a capacitor-diode voltage multiplier, regulated by a high-impedance feedback divider. [1]
The multiplier is capacitive; with no load the feedback divider is the only discharge path, so a 60 kV example takes about 16 s to discharge. [1]
Spellman says it protects the supply's internal limiting resistors from continuous arcing; it is not meant to catch every arc. [2]
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Spellman's application notes and XP Power's product pages describe their own supplies; their figures are examples, not limits. High voltage can be lethal; follow the maker's safety instructions.
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