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ABSTRACT: Experimental results of high-repetition rate pseudospark switch
testing are reported. High-repetition rate operation was investigated
with special regard to applications including copper vapor lasers,
high-repetition-rate high-average power excimer lasers, and linear
induction accelerators. Typical test parameters are hold-off voltage on
the order of 15-25 kV, peak currents on the order of 10 kA, and pulse
durations on the order of 50 to 100 ns. The discharge circuit used for
testing was contained in a coaxial housing, using discrete ceramic
capacitor of 5.4 and 10.8 nF total. The circuit impedance achieved was
on the order of ≈1 to 2 Ω, which resulted in peak currents on
the other order of 10 kA in the short-circuited, ringing discharge.
Current reversal under these conditions was up to 80% of the peak
current. A sealed-off, metal-ceramic pseudospark switch with integral
hydrogen reservoir tested in the setup achieved repetition rates of up
to 1.8 kHz without latching or triggering failures. Some 10<sup>7</sup>
shots have been performed without degradation of the switch performance
Power Modulator Symposium, 1990., IEEE Conference Record of the 1990 Nineteenth; 07/1990
