Customer Story from CERN

CERN is the birthplace of many scientific breakthroughs and a cornerstone of modern nuclear research. We are proud to contribute to this long-standing scientific tradition.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research was established in 1954 and operates the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. Based in Geneva, the organization is globally recognized for its groundbreaking work in particle acceleration and experimentation.

The mission

The first contact with CERN dates back to 1993, when ScandiNovas co-founder Mikael Lindholm met the organization during a job interview. In 1999, the company delivered its first system to CERN, introducing solid-state pulsed power technology that attracted strong interest and later led to further collaboration, including the development and delivery of high-power pulse modulators.

“CERN holds the position as the world’s largest and most important international research institute in their fields. The collaboration with CERN has been fantastic in many ways. We have very much felt as one team together. Easy to communicate and collaborate with and always extremely helpful. We have learned a lot from the experienced team at CERN and they have pushed us to reach beyond existing performance limits required for the future Scientific Research tools. We are looking forward to continue our successful collaboration.”

Mikael Lindholm
Founder and Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Business Development, ScandiNova Systems

The outcome

Over the years, ScandiNova has delivered a total of eight custom-built solid-state systems to CERN. The most recent delivery, a compact test modulator, took place in 2017.

Compared with legacy technology, ScandiNova’s modulators offer improved reliability, enhanced pulse performance, greater overall stability, and a more compact system footprint. In addition, advanced diagnostics and a flexible interface allow users to adjust pulse length and shape.

“The performance of the ScandiNova solid-state modulators complies with the high-power demands of the particle physics user community and provides excellent pulse to pulse stability, flatness and repeatability. Their high precision and reliability ensure the stable RF power essential for accelerating particles. What’s more, ScandiNova is very proactive. They listen to our needs and help improve the results of our research programs.”

Gerard McMonagle
Engineer, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland