High current glow discharge switch with remarkable cathode properties

The authors report on the development of a novel high-power switch with an extremely high (>10 kA/cm/sup 2/ over an area approximately=1 cm/sup 2/) cathode emission current density. The high cathode emission allows the switch to conduct peak currents in excess of 10-20 kA in a diffuse glow discha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kirkman, G., Hartmann, W., Hsu, T.Y., Liou, R.L., Gundersen, M.A.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Cathodes
Current density
Delay
Electrodes
Glow discharges
Jitter
Optical pulses
Switches
Thyratrons
Voltage
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The authors report on the development of a novel high-power switch with an extremely high (>10 kA/cm/sup 2/ over an area approximately=1 cm/sup 2/) cathode emission current density. The high cathode emission allows the switch to conduct peak currents in excess of 10-20 kA in a diffuse glow discharge without severely damaging the electrodes. The switch is triggered by an unfocused ultraviolet light pulse from a flashlamp or laser incident on the back of the cathode and is referred to as back-lighted thyratron (BLT). Typical operating parameters are >25 kV holdoff voltage, >10 kA peak current, approximately 3*10/sup 11/ A/s dI/dt, and delay and triggering jitter of the order of 100 ns and 1 ns, respectively. The cathode emission is extremely high and results from self-heating caused by a transient ion beam during the switch-closure phase.< >
ISSN:0163-1918
2156-017X
DOI:10.1109/IEDM.1988.32872