Switching characteristics of vacuum gap switch employing UV‐laser triggering

Abstract

The switching time and arc-ignition probability of a sustained main discharge in a laser trigger vacuum gap were measured. The third harmonic beam of an Nd:YAG pulse laser (wavelength 355 nm, energy 5 mJ/pulse, power density 4 × 107 W/cm2) was used to trigger the gap. The main electrodes 85 mm in diameter were made of oxygen-free copper. The gap length was 1.6 mm and the experimental chamber was evacuated to about 1.3 × 104 Pa by a turbomolecular pump. The UV beam from the laser was focused at normal incidence onto the grounded cathode. The switching time decreased and the arc-ignition probability increased with increasing applied voltage. The switching time was 326 ns at 15 kV with a circuit inductance of 107 μH. Its jitter was 24.8 ns. The advantageous results obtained with the UV beam are compared to the previously reported data on triggered vacuum gaps. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 132(3): 8–13, 2000