The Plasma Erosion Opening Switch

Abstract

Inductive energy storage in conjunction with opening switch techniques has many advantages over conventional, capacitive power approaches for high-energy (>10MJ), high-power (>10l2W) applications.1 The principal advantages of inductive storage derive from the 10–100 times higher energy density possible with energy stored in magnetic fields as compared with electric fields and that energy can be stored at low voltage. In theory, this makes compact and economical generators possible.2 In any inductive storage scheme, the opening switches represent the most critical elements. One such possible switch is the plasma erosion opening switch (PEOS). This switch has been proposed to be used either by itself3 or in sequence with other opening switches4 in several inductive-store, pulsed-power systems. Recently, inductive-store/ pulse-compression techniques employing the PEOS have been successfully adapted to conventional pulsed-power generators for the purpose of improving their performance, e.g., peak voltage, peak power, and pulse width.5–11 In addition to inductive store applications, the PEOS has been used extensively in high power generators for prepulse suppression, improving power flow symmetry, and current risetime sharpening.5,6,12–18 Depending on the specific application, the PEOS has demonstrated opening times less than 10 ns, conduction times approaching 100 ns, conduction currents as high as 5 MA, and voltage generation over 3 MV without breakdown. Present research is directed toward obtaining a better understanding of PEOS physics and the interaction of the PEOS with the other system components to optimize system performance.