Abstract
This paper describes the development of a small field-distortion spark gap switch. Comprehensive experimental studies made with the switch revealed its self-breakdown characteristics, voltage operating range, time delay and jitter, repetition frequency, and finally the electrode erosion processes and duration of its service lifetime. A series of design improvements were required to be implemented in the switch design. For example, to reduce the structural inductance of the switch and to improve its working characteristics, the main electrode was designed as a circular track structure. Similarly, to increase the operation stability and reduce the self-breakdown probability, the trigger electrode was designed as a disk-like structure. Moreover, to balance the gas pressure in the discharge region and increase the stability during closure, a circular hole was added at the center of the trigger electrode. The compact switch has a small size of only 150 mm $\times42$ mm, a weight of 1.5 kg, and can be successfully operated at a voltage over 110 kV, at a repetition rate between 1 and 50 Hz and having a jitter of less than 4 ns. It was experimentally demonstrated that during normal operation conditions, the switch lifetime exceeds 100 000 shots.
Highlights
IN recent years, important civilian and military applications were all based on pulsed power sources similar to the one described in the paper [1]-[3]
In recent years semiconductor switches made impressive advances, gas spark gap switches are still the best choice to meet the needs of high-voltage and high-current required in a compact high-power pulsed generator
For a single-shot or low repetition-rate operation two, three, or multielectrode products with good performance at high peak current (1-500 kA) and high peak voltage (2.5-100 kV) are all commercially available, such as the T-Series spark gap switches produced by L3 company [14] and the SG-Series spark gap switches produced by R
Summary
IN recent years, important civilian and military applications were all based on pulsed power sources similar to the one described in the paper [1]-[3]. A typical Marx generator for high-power microwave applications requires a small volume design, operation with a low jitter at both high peak voltage (~100 kV) and high peak current (~10 kA) at a repetition rate of up to 100 Hz, while at the same time having a long service-life [22]-[24]. For such type of applications, to the authors’ best knowledge, the corresponding switches have not been presented in the open literature.
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