Triggering of pseudospark switches

Abstract

Investigations of direct (DAD) and pulse auxiliary discharge (PAD) effects on temporal characteristics and voltage drop of cold cathode thyratrons (pseudospark switches) TPI-types are carried out. The described investigations were aimed to obtain reduced energy losses in the discharge and minimize switching time. The tests were carried out in a mode with anode voltage 3-20 kV, at anode peak current up to 1 kA, pulse duration of 50-500 ns. At DAD current 10-50 mA delay between PAD current and pulse current flowing to the control grid was 500-1000 ns. Peak PAD voltage was 0.8-2.0 kV, meanwhile control grid voltage was 1 kV. It is established that increase of PAD current up to 1-5 A for the described conditions reduces rise time up to 2 ns and even less, jitter less than 1 ns. The results of the described experiments show that PSS enables switching of current pulses with current rise time close to that of spark gaps and less than for hot cathode thyratrons, at voltage drop approximately equal to that for hot cathode thyratrons.