Requirements for simultaneous ignition of all channels in ahigh-current radial multichannel pseudospark switch

In order to reduce erosion of electrodes and consequently achieve a long lifetime for high-power switches, a low-pressure switch, namely the pseudospark switch (PSS), is investigated as an alternative to the conventional high-power switches. The erosion can be reduced further along with an enhancement of the current and the rate of current rise, if more channels are introduced for the passage of current. An intense electron beam is known to be emitted by the hollow cathode during the starting phase in a pseudospark discharge. It has been reported that in a multichannel setup each installed channel can ignite only if it gets ionized by its respective beam. The results presented in this paper show how this multichannel operation can be accomplished. These results are based on a statistical study of a radial multichannel pseudospark switch and an observation of the discharge course by means of high-speed photography and show that a glow discharge trigger, with a high glow current (⩾1.2 mA) and slowly rising trigger pulses (⩾150 ns), allows a simultaneous ignition of up to 12 channels     

Triggering of radial multichannel pseudospark switches by a pulsedhollow cathode discharge

We report on a special trigger discharge for pulsed high-power pseudospark switches. The switch used is a radial three-channel pseudospark switch. For triggering, a cylindrical trigger electrode is inserted into the hollow cathode of the main gap. This electrode acts as a hollow cathode for the dc preionization, while the hollow cathode of the main gap is the anode. A negative high-voltage pulse supplied to the trigger electrode ignites the main discharge. We report the temporal evolution of the trigger discharge observed with a fast camera. This trigger method gives an excellent current distribution among the discharge channels, as can be proven by fast photography. The switch has a delay of 220 ns and a jitter of 15 ns     

Analysis of the hollow cathode emitted electron beams in a radialmultichannel pseudospark

A radial multichannel pseudospark switch seems advantageous for switching currents exceeding 100 kA. A single common hollow cathode guarantees the same trigger conditions for all channels. The electron beams emitted out of the hollow cathode of this switch are analyzed by means of Faraday-cups by varying the circuit as well as the trigger parameters. In addition to the cup measurements, the discharge is observed using a CCD camera. It is found that each channel of the switch must receive a respective beam, before the resistance of the switch turns low, if the discharge current is to run through that channel. In addition, most of the varied parameters do not influence the electron beam     

The characteristics of pulsed hollow cathode discharges used forpseudospark switch triggering

The complex interaction between the trigger discharge and the main switch discharge in high-power gas discharge switches influences both the switching characteristics, and the switch and trigger lifetime. Any attempts to improve either of these parameters has to take into account the pressure and geometry dependence of a particular trigger geometry. Yet, although not very intensely investigated in detail for this particular purpose, pulsed hollow cathode discharges are commonly used for low-pressure gas discharge triggering as in pseudospark switches. Measurements of the electron current flowing to the cathode backplane of a pseudospark switch from the pulsed hollow cathode trigger discharge show that maximum current densities are peaked around the symmetry axis of the trigger electrode, an effect which is more pronounced at low pressures. Delayed (and slowed-down) increase of the current density at larger radii leads to increasing delay and jitter, provided the trigger coupling holes in the cathode backplane are located off-axis. The electron current density increases with decreasing diameter of the trigger electrode, and with increasing pressure of the working gas. In addition, it is shown that a preionization (keep-alive) current in the trigger electrode region shows a distinct influence on the trigger current distribution, proving that there exists an optimum keep-alive current depending on the geometry and gas pressure     

Trigger devices for pseudospark switches

Effective triggering of pseudospark switches with long lifetime and low jitter remains an important problem. This paper presents results of investigations of trigger methods for pseudospark switches. based upon pulsed glow discharges in planar and hollow electrode geometry for charge injection. The influence of different wiring and geometries of the electrodes for preionization is investigated. The effect of additional blocking potentials in the hollow cathode to improve different trigger systems was measured. Calculations of the static potential in the hollow cathode with or without blocking potential are compared with parameters of the discharge     

Pseudospark switches-technological aspects and application

We report results of the development of fast closing switches, so-called pseudospark switches, at Erlangen University. Two different parameter regimes are under investigation: medium power switches (32 kV anode voltage, 30 kA anode current and 0.02 C charge transfer per shot) for pulsed gas discharge lasers and high power switches (30 kV anode voltage, 400 kA anode current and 3.4 C charge transfer per shot) for high current applications. The lifetime of these switches is determined by erosion of the cathode. The total charge transfer of devices with one discharge channel is about 220 kC for the medium and 27 kC for the high power switch. At currents exceeding 45 kA a sudden increase in erosion rate was observed. Multichannel devices are suited to increase lifetime as the current per channel can be reduced. Successful experiments with radial and coaxial arrangements of the discharge channels were performed. In these systems the discharge channels move due to magnetic forces. A skilful use of this phenomena will result in a considerably increase of switch lifetime. Multigap devices enable an increase of anode voltage. A three gap switch has run reliably at an anode voltage of 70 kV     

阵列微孔阴极放电触发的纳秒脉冲开关

为了实现在大气压下低触发电压的多通道放电,以阵列微孔阴极结构作为触发装置设计了一种新型纳秒脉冲开关。以激光打孔的双面环氧板为阵列微孔阴极,研究了开关工作系数、微孔阴极放电电流、微孔阴极孔数及微孔阴极孔径对开关触发电压、延迟和抖动时间的影响。实验结果表明:更多的阵列微孔、100 m的微孔孔径能够降低开关的触发电压,同时高开关工作系数、大触发电流、多阵列微孔能够减少开关的延迟和抖动时间。因此,为了获得更高性能的纳秒脉冲开关,除了对开关结构的进一步改善,这几个影响开关性能的因素是设计开关时应主要考虑的。     

Influence of the hollow cathode dimensions on the electron beamcurrent in a pseudospark discharge

Investigations on the electron beam current of a free running pseudospark discharge are presented. A single gap system with hollow cathodes of different dimensions is used. The filling gases are argon and helium. The electron beam signal consists of a first pulse with currents of several hundreds of mA and a main pulse with currents up to 20 A. A variation of length and diameter of the hollow cathode significantly influences the pressure range in which a free running pseudospark discharge exists and the peak current of both electron beam pulses. Plasma formation and electron beam generation are studied by high speed photography. The experimental results give some information on the discharge mechanisms that is integrated in a qualitative model of the pseudospark discharge     

Experimental data on the initiation of a pseudospark discharge

In connection with the development of a pseudospark switch for copper vapor lasers, several long endurance tests at repetition rates between 50 Hz and 7 kHz have been performed during the past years. These tests give some clues to the basic phenomena that are involved in the current build-up of a pseudospark discharge, especially as concerns the interaction of gas and surface effects. According to these results, current flow is initiated by a glow discharge in such a way that the positive column penetrates into the hollow cathode; forming a virtual anode. When the current reaches a threshold value <100 A, the electric field produced in the cathode fall of the glow discharge is sufficient for the formation of cathode spots in the cathode backspace. The spots act as electron emitters and carry the discharge current up to approximately 1 kA, where large area emission processes at the front side of the cathode might become important     

辉光放电触发赝火花开关的时延及抖动特性

 设计了一种辉光放电触发赝火花开关,对其时延和抖动特性进行系统研究。研究了开关时延、抖动与辉光放电电流、气压、触发电压及阳极电压的关系。当辉光放电电流小于0.30 mA时,开关无法触发导通;当电流为0.35~0.60 mA时,随辉光放电电流的增大,开关时延、抖动减小;当辉光放电电流为0.60 mA时,开关时延、抖动基本不变,出现饱和。当氦气气压低于6 Pa,开关难以触通,与理论计算值6.95 Pa吻合;当氦气气压为6~12 Pa时,开关的时延、抖动随气压的升高而减小;气压为12~30 Pa时,开关工作在比较稳定的状态。当触发电压小于3 kV,开关难以触通;随着触发电压的增大,开关时延、抖动减小;当触发电压大于5.3 kV,开关时延、抖动基本保持不变。开关在稳定工作条件下,阳极电压在8~25 kV范围内变化时;开关时延基本不变。     

赝火花开关放电的蒙特卡罗粒子模拟

采用粒子模拟和蒙特卡罗相结合的方法,应用静电求解模型,对赝火花开关初始放电过程进行了模拟。赝火花开关初始放电过程主要由汤森放电过程、等离子体形成、空心阴极效应和场致发射引发主放电组成;等离子体形成和空心阴极效应对赝火花开关的发展导通具有至关重要的作用。改变赝火花开关工作参数,如气压、电极孔径、阳极电压和阴极腔中初始粒子密度,研究其对赝火花开关电子峰值电流形成时间的影响。结果表明:随着气压、电极孔径、阳极电压和初始粒子密度的增大,赝火花开关电子峰值电流形成时间减小。     

伪火花放电开关的陶瓷表面放电触发研究

 设计了伪火花开关的陶瓷材料表面放电触发器，该触发器体积小，结构简单，可焙烧。经大量实验表明，较传统的表面放电触发器可靠性提高，寿命延长，用它触发的伪火花开关（放电电压30~2kV）具有稳定的放电时延（50~340ns）和时延抖动（15~40ns）。由于触发电流大，因此可在极低的开关电压下触发开关，对耐受电压30kV的伪火花开关，其最低可触发开关电压可至600V。     

Silicon carbide as electrode material of a pseudospark switch

Through the last years, the pseudospark switch, a low-pressure gas discharge switch with hollow cathode geometry, became established as a promising element of pulsed power technology and a serious alternative to other high-power switches. The use of a novel electrode material silicon carbide yields performance improvements in two main areas. Quenching phenomena, a long-standing problem for several applications, are suppressed completely and the switch lifetime can be distinctly increased, approaching that of thyratrons for operation with high repetition rate. As a crow-bar switch, the lifetime is nearby unlimited due to cold electrode usage. Spatial and temporal resolved spectroscopy revealed new insight into the extraordinary discharge behavior of silicon carbide electrodes. The radial plasma expansion from the central bore hole to the outer electrode regions, forming vesicular shells of different ionization stages of Si and C, are described in detail. The remaining problem, a significant loss of deuterium gas during discharge, has been long-term tested and is assumed to be the outcome of absorption in the silicon carbide electrodes. An envisaged promising remedy is presented     

Corona-plasma triggered pseudospark discharges

This paper reports on a novel pseudospark triggering technique using a corona-plasma electrode to feed initial electrons into one of the pseudospark hollow electrodes. This corona-plasma trigger can be used either at the cathode or anode side of the pseudospark, and it can be connected as well to the high voltage electrode as to the grounded one. With this trigger scheme, a pseudospark switch working at pulse repetition frequencies (PRF) up to 100 Hz has been demonstrated in a continuous mode of operation, while PRF as high as 1 kHz has been achieved in a burst mode. The cumulative number of pseudospark discharges triggered with this technique is already above 5*10⁷ , and this corona-plasma triggered pseudospark is still in operation without performance degradation. The main advantage of this pseudospark triggering technique lies in its simultaneous simplicity and reliability allowing high repetition rate, long lifetime, and the complete absence of keep-alive electrode and standby power consumption     

纳秒脉冲电压下同轴场畸变开关多通道放电特性

使气体开关形成多通道放电是减小开关电感、通道电阻、电极熔蚀,提高开关寿命和稳定性的有效措施。设计了一种同轴场畸变气体火花开关,研究了开关在纳秒脉冲电压下的多通道放电现象。研究了脉冲电压上升速率与多通道放电特性的关系,比较了两种体积比的SF6/Ar混合气体多通道放电特性。实验结果表明:一定气压下,平均通道数随着脉冲电压上升率增加而增多,电流分布趋向均匀;相同脉冲峰值与气压比值,不同气压下,高气压下的通道数较多;SF6/Ar混合气体中,氩气含量较高情况下多通道放电特性较好。最后,结合J.C.Martin的多通道放电理论对实验结果作出了初步解释。     

Study of field-induced explosive electron emission mechanisms ofpseudospark superemission cathodes

Various mechanisms of electron emission, including the field, field-enhanced thermionic, and explosive electron emissions from pseudospark cathodes, are discussed and compared. The mechanism of the field-induced explosive electron emission due to microstructure on the cathode surface is considered to be more likely the pseudospark superemissive mechanism. A high-mean electric field up to 3-5 MV/cm on the cathode surface in the end of hollow cathode phase is enough to initiate the mechanism. The cathode spot initiation delay time (<10 ns) and explosive emission threshold current (~10⁸ A/cm² ) prior to the high current conducting phase are given by solving the initial value problem of the one-dimensional heat conduction equation, thus explaining the existing experimental data of the pseudospark cathode superemission. In the case of multigap discharge, the above mechanism occurs on nearly all cathode and interelectrode surfaces. Experimental evidence in single- and multigap pseudospark discharges supports the suggested explanation     

The spatial and temporal development of pseudospark switch plasmas

Optical spectroscopy is used to investigate the spatial and temporal development of high-current pseudospark switch plasmas. At a peak discharge current of 12 kA in amplitude and a current reversal of 20%, the electron density is measured from Stark width broadening of the hydrogen Balmer beta line. The peak electron density of ~4×10¹⁵ cm^-3 is measured briefly after the current maximum. The discharge initially starts on the symmetry axis of the cathode hole. A cylindrical plasma column is observed, which is produced mainly by ionizing collisions of beam electrons formed in the hollow cathode during the early part of the discharge. This plasma column rapidly expands in the radial direction, until it contacts the edge of the cathode hole. The same behavior is found when the Balmer beta line intensity is evaluated rather than the line shape. Although statistically distributed, localized bursts of light are found occasionally, an axially symmetric, homogeneous light intensity distribution is always predominant, and the local arcing is merely superimposed on it. These results confirm that the discharge remains diffuse during most of the current pulse     

Interaction between plasma and the channel surface in a multichannel hollow cathode

A physical-mathematical model of the erosion of a multichannel hollow cathode operating in the arc-discharge mode with inert gas flow is developed. The processes of evaporation, sputtering, and recycling of the cathode material are considered. The dependence of the erosion rate on the discharge parameters is studied. Estimates for integrated and local erosion of the cathode are obtained. The calculation results satisfactorily agree with the experiment.     

Fast processes on cathode surface resulting in pseudosparkdischarge

An alternative mechanism for emission during the high-current phase of a pseudospark discharge is presented. A high current density is provided by multiple arc cathode spots which appear due to cathode-plasma breakdown. The model of plasma formation in the main gap of the pseudospark switch is discussed, together with conditions required for the initiation of spot during some tens of nanoseconds, the appearance of a moving double plasma layer, and high-current transport through the plasma-filled diode     

Laser-triggered low timing jitter coaxial Marx generator

A coaxial Marx generator triggered with a UV laser pulse propagating coaxially through multigap switches is constructed. The Marx generator is operated at maximum voltage of 200 kV with a rise time of less than 10 ns. To trigger multigap switches in the Marx generator, the laser pulse is passed through fine metal mesh fitted in the holes formed along the central axis in electrodes of gap switches. Photoelectrons generated from the mesh part of the cathode trigger the discharge and close the switches. Timing jitter of the high voltage pulse with respect to the laser pulse is 800 ps for the case of single gap switch and 1 ns for the Marx generator with two stage gap switches. Since the spark path is always formed from the solid surface of the cathode instead of the metal mesh, the mesh part of the cathode is never damaged for a large number of shots, promising long lifetime of the electrodes