The avalanche region is one of the typical operating regions of a bipolar transistor that offers interesting parameters for the realization of fast pulsers which can be applied in the particle accelerator field. I will present how this technique was applied in the design of a very fast pulser to drive the cathode of the SLS2 Linac thermionic gun. I will conclude my talk presenting the prototype implementation of the new thermionic gun driver for the SLS2 Linac and the results obtained in the last three months of SLS operation.
This results confirm a successful application of the avalanche technique in the particle accelerator field.