Operation of microsecond plasma opening switches

Closing and breaking of current in microsecond megaampere plasma opening switches are considered. Conductivity current scaling in the switch due to plasma acceleration by a magnetic piston is discussed and compared with experimental data. Two ways of determining the width of a current channel are taken up. This channel results from the diffusion of the magnetic field in the plane of the piston followed by the convective ejection of the field “frozen” in the accelerated plasma flow behind the shock wave into the bridge. Based on experimental data, a scaling law for the voltage on the switch according to the switch parameters is derived. The problem of reverse closing, which limits the efficiency of storage energy extraction into the load, is considered.     

Dynamic model for plasma opening switches

A dynamic model for plasma opening switches is proposed. The basis of the model is the appearance and development of force instabilities (pinch and sausage) in a spatially nonuniform plasma accelerated by a magnetic field as a driver piston. The proposed model does not require the invocation of subtle effects in the pinch collapse phase and makes it possible, without going beyond the framework of magnetohydrodynamics, to explain the principal operating features of plasma opening switches and to obtain quantitative estimates consistent with experiment. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 25–29 (May 1999)     

Concerning microsecond megaampere-current plasma opening switches

The operation mechanism of a microsecond megaampere-current plasma opening switch is considered. The magnetic field penetrates into the plasma via near-electrode diffusion. The increase in the degree of plasma magnetization due to electron heating results in an increase in plasma resistivity and current break. The problem of calculating a plasma opening switch is mathematically formulated. The problem reduces to simultaneously solving one-fluid two-temperature MHD equations with allowance for the Hall current and two-dimensional electric circuit equations. To analyze the solution obtained, one-dimensional equations are derived based on the assumption that the size of the electrode region in which the plasma is strongly magnetized is much smaller that the plasma column length. In this approximation, the operating modes of a plasma opening switch are studied numerically. On long time scales (≥2–3 μs), the operation is limited by plasma ejection from the interelectrode gap. On short time scales (≤1 μs), the dominant process is the penetration of the magnetic field with the current velocity. The results of the calculations are compared with the available experimental data. The developed concept and numerical procedure are used to optimize the scheme for an explosion experiment on breaking megaampere currents under conditions similar to those in the EMIR complex.     

Application of pulsed gas vents for plasma opening switches

Experimental results concerning the application of coaxial plasma guns with fast pulsed gas vents to provide the plasma for the microsecond plasma opening switch (MPOS) are reported. Various gases were used for the plasma production. Using the lightest gases (H₂ , D₂) yielded the best MPOS performance and resulted in the highest voltage and impedance levels as the switch opened. The importance of the role of secondary plasma production is demonstrated. Analyses of MPOS parameters as a function of different types of plasma are shown     

Dynamics of electron-hole plasma in semiconductor opening switches for ultradense currents

A physicomathematical model for calculating the dynamics of the electron-hole plasma in semiconductor opening switches for ultradense currents is developed. The model takes account of the real doping profile of a semiconductor p ⁺-p-n-n ⁺ structure and the following elementary processes in the electron-hole plasma: current-carrier diffusion and drift in high electric fields, recombination on deep impurities and Auger recombination, and collisional ionization in a dense plasma. The electrical pumping circuit of the opening switch is calculated by solving the Kirchhoff equations. The motion of the plasma in the semiconductor structure is analyzed on the basis of the model. It is shown that for ultrahigh pumping levels the interruption of the current in the opening switch occurs in the heavily doped regions of the p ⁺-p-n-n ⁺ structure and is due to saturation of the particle drift velocity in high electric fields. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 64–70 (October 1997)     

Super high-power laser systems and their application

Super high-power laser systems have been studied. GEKKO XII glass laser, LEKKO VIII CO₂ laser, diode-pumped solid-state laser and PW cpa Nd glass laser have been developed at Osaka University. They have proved to be very effective for laser fusion research. Various applications in the wide fields are presented.     

高功率亚纳秒GaAs光电导开关的研究

报道了具有全固态绝缘结构的横向型半绝缘GaAs光电导开关的研制和性能测试结果.其中8mm电极间隙的GaAs开关暗态绝缘强度达28kV,分别用ns和ps激光脉冲触发开关的结果表明,开关输出电磁脉冲无晃动,电流脉冲上升时间小于200ps,脉宽达亚ns,3mm电极间隙的GaAs开关的峰值电流达560A,电磁脉冲重复率108Hz.给出不同电极间隙的GaAs开关工作于线性和lockon状态下的实验结果,测试了GaAs开关工作于lockon状态下的光能、电场阈值 关键词： 光电导开关 lockon效应 高功率超快电脉冲     

VUV-heating of plasma layers and their use as ultrafast switches

We report on new possibilities to generate solid-density plasma at extreme energy density by intense VUV beams. Here we consider 100 fs pulses of 30 eV photons focused to 10¹⁶ and 10¹⁸ W/cm². The temperature evolution in 50 nm thick aluminum foils is discussed on the basis of simulations, performed with the one-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code MULTI-fs. For 30 eV photons, the foil is shown to switch from transmission to reflection mode on a femto-second time-scale; this is due to the rapid change of the plasma frequency during laser heating which may turn an initially transparent Al-foil into an opaque one. The switching-time depends on the intensity of the laser pulse. Also layered heating structures inside the foil are discussed which occur due to reflection at the rear surface.     

Amplification of the power of a line transformer by series connection of plasma opening switches

A circuit is proposed for increasing the power and voltage across the load in a generator based on a line pulse transformer. The power is amplified by series connection of plasma opening switches between the transformer sections. A numerical analysis has been performed for the generator circuit. The results of experiments on determination of the characteristics required for realization of the proposed opening switch circuit are reported. Institute of High Current Electronics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 9–14, December, 1999.     

半导体断路开关截断过程模拟的缩比模型

在维持电路参数同比变化和通过半导体断路开关(SOS)的电流密度不变的基础上,提出了一种SOS截断特性模拟的缩比模型,并可在Silvaco ATLAS软件中应用。在以不同的缩比率选取等效SOS横截面积的情况下,将原电路中串联的100个二极管等效为若干个二极管,模拟得到了相同的二极管电流和电压波形。模拟结果表明,该模型不仅可以得到正确的SOS瞬态截断过程,而且可将计算速度提高近百倍。通过对SOS截断过程中载流子分布和电场分布变化过程的分析发现,SOS的截断过程发生在n-n+区。     

Study of repetitive plasma opening switch generator technology

Repetitive plasma opening switch (POS) research for X-ray and electron beam generators for commercial applications is reviewed. This research was started on the RS-20 generator in 1991 with submicrosecond conduction times, 100 kA currents, and MV voltages. In the experiments wall-plug to electron beam production efficiency was increased from 10-50%. Maximum voltage obtained at POS was 3 MV starting from 0.8 MV at the Marx generator. POS operation was improved using an applied external magnetic field for the opening phase. Diode current and total generator efficiency were increased by combining the POS and diode system in one technology unit. For the opening phase of the high-impedance, repetitive POS, a set of conditions based on early POS experiments in the Kurchatov Institute were proposed. Repetitive POS generators have obtained peak X-ray dose rates of 1 MGy/s and electron dose rates of 10 GGy/s. This may be important for applications as pulsed irradiation may cause more efficient sterilization at lower doses. An X-ray generator based on repetitive POS technology at 5 MV and 200 kW in the electron beam is proposed     

半导体断路开关截断过程模拟的缩比模型

在维持电路参数同比变化和通过半导体断路开关(SOS)的电流密度不变的基础上,提出了一种SOS截断特性模拟的缩比模型,并可在Silvaco ATLAS软件中应用。在以不同的缩比率选取等效SOS横截面积的情况下,将原电路中串联的100个二极管等效为若干个二极管,模拟得到了相同的二极管电流和电压波形。模拟结果表明,该模型不仅可以得到正确的SOS瞬态截断过程,而且可将计算速度提高近百倍。通过对SOS截断过程中载流子分布和电场分布变化过程的分析发现,SOS的截断过程发生在n-n+区。     

Radiative losses in plasma accelerators

We investigate the dynamics of a relativistic electron in a strongly nonlinear plasma wave in terms of classical mechanics by taking into account the action of the radiative reaction force. The two limiting cases are considered. In the first case where the energy of the accelerated electrons is low, the electron makes many betatron oscillations during the acceleration. In the second case where the energy of the accelerated electrons is high, the betatron oscillation period is longer than the electron residence time in the accelerating phase. We show that the force of radiative friction can severely limit the rate of electron acceleration in a plasma accelerator.     

半导体断路开关输出预脉冲的产生机理及其参数影响规律

半导体断路开关的输出电压中的预脉冲现象,严重影响了整个系统的输出脉冲前沿陡度和重复频率。针对半导体断路开关在反向截断过程中预脉冲产生的过程和机理进行了研究。利用Silvaco Atlas仿真软件对半导体断路开关正反向泵浦过程中载流子的迁移和电场的变化过程进行了详细考察,发现预脉冲的产生是由双边截断过程中N-N⁺结截断所引起的脉冲前沿变缓现象,其长短主要取决于P型轻掺杂区内的少子电子的迁移率,而脉冲前沿的陡度则取决于双边截断过程中的PN结截断过程。同时,对具有不同基区长度的器件,对其在不同泵浦电流密度下的情况进行了模拟和对比,发现器件基区越窄,脉冲前沿越陡,而预脉冲基本相等;低电流密度条件下只发生N-N⁺结单边截断,大电流密度条件下则发生双边截断,而双边截断的延迟更长,但脉冲前沿拐点更陡,截断更快。     

Thin film ferroelectric photonic crystals and their application to thermo-optic switches

Two-dimensional photonic crystals (PhC) using epitaxial ferroelectric, barium titanate (BTO) thin films as the dielectric medium were fabricated and their thermo-optical response measured and compared to theory. The nanopatterned PhC consists of a square array of air holes 300 nm deep, a period of 780 nm and area 200 × 200 μm². The large refractive index of BTO leads to a high contrast structure that shows strong optical diffraction. Optical diffraction is analyzed along the 〈1 0〉 and 〈1 1〉 directions from phase grating measurements. The thermal tunability of BTO PhC is characterized from the attenuation of the first order diffraction. There is a 3 dB extinction ratio when the temperature increases by 120 °C, which corresponds to an increase of 0.05 in the BTO refractive index. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique is used to calculate the PhC band structure and the temperature dependence of the diffraction efficiency. The large change in the diffraction efficiency indicates that thermally tunable BTO PhCs may be useful as active ultra-compact photonic switches.     

Energy spectra of electrons in plasma accelerators

The acceleration of electrons in the fast (relativistic) plasma wave, generated, e.g., by intense laser pulse in an underdense plasma, is studied theoretically and numerically. The analytical method, developed to describe the energy spectrum of electrons accelerated in one-dimensional (1-D) plasma wave of an arbitrary form, predicts the “bunching” of electrons in the energy space for linear (harmonic) plasma wave in contrast to the nonlinear one. The results of one- and two-dimensional (2-D) numerical simulations of the resonant and nonresonant electron bunch acceleration are presented and discussed     

Structure and dynamics of the plasma armature of railgunmacroparticle accelerators

Results of the optical diagnostics of the plasma armature in railgun macroparticle accelerators are summarized. Determining the structure of the plasma armature and measuring its brightness and temperature at an initial stage of high-current discharge are the focus of attention. Experiments show that the plasma induced by the electric explosion of a copper foil undergoes complex variations that include plasma stratification. The plasma structure continuously changes, being of a complicated, irregular character. The lifetime of an individual stratum changes within 1 to 10 μs. In experiments on solid-body acceleration, the arc burns for a long time at the foil site, where a strong electrode erosion takes place. As the body passes through the railgun channel, the plasma armature continuously increases its length so that it gradually occupies the entire accelerator channel. the current is observed to redistribute itself from the front towards the end face of the plasma armature. The maximum brightness temperature measured in the experiments is 26000±2600 K. As is shown by the experiments, it is arguable that a magnetic-compressed discharge may be realized in a railgun solid-body accelerator with a plasma armature     

The plasma in high-current pseudospark switches

The discharge behavior and the erosion rate of pseudospark switches for high currents (50-150 kA) and pulse lengths of several microseconds were investigated for different electrode materials. A capacitor discharge (3.3 μF) without any load was used at a maximum voltage of 30 kV. Side-on optical investigations were performed either with a streak camera or a fast shutter camera. Using metal electrodes, the discharge ignites on axis, then widens up radially and burns homogeneously at the edge of the central apertures. After about 500 ns, a stable anode spot is observed on the plane electrode surface (at currents exceeding 45 kA), the location of which is statistical. The discharge is transformed to a metal vapor are discharge and the erosion rate increases by more than one order of magnitude. With semiconductor electrodes (i.e., silicon carbide), a different discharge behavior is observed, After ignition on axis, the discharge burns homogeneously on the whole carbide surface. No contraction to a small area occurs in comparison to metal electrodes. The reignition of later current half cycles starts at the triple point metal-carbide-gas. Then the discharge again spreads homogeneously over the total carbide surface. The erosion rate is about two magnitudes lower in comparison to metals. We assume that the current is conducted in a thin surface sheath which is heated to more than 2000 K     

Magnetic control of particle injection in plasma based accelerators

The use of an external transverse magnetic field to trigger and to control electron self-injection in laser- and particle-beam driven wakefield accelerators is examined analytically and through full-scale particle-in-cell simulations. A magnetic field can relax the injection threshold and can be used to control main output beam features such as charge, energy, and transverse dynamics in the ion channel associated with the plasma blowout. It is shown that this mechanism could be studied using state-of-the-art magnetic fields in next generation plasma accelerator experiments.