High-voltage, low-inductance gas switch
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsFrederick R. Gruner, William A. Stygar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A low-inductance, air-insulated gas switch uses a de-enhanced annular trigger ring disposed between two opposing high voltage electrodes. The switch is DC chargeable to 200 kilovolts or more, triggerable, has low jitter (5 ns or less), has pre-fire and no-fire rates of no more than one in 10,000 shots, and has a lifetime of greater than 100,000 shots. Importantly, the switch also has a low inductance (less than 60 nH) and the ability to conduct currents with less than 100 ns rise times. The switch can be used with linear transformer drives or other pulsed-power systems.
Claims9
A high-voltage, low-inductance gas switch, comprising:
- a hollow housing pressurized with a gas;
- a pair of axially symmetric opposing high voltage electrodes spaced apart and located on a centerline within the pressurized housing;
- and
- an annular trigger ring disposed on a midplane between the opposing high voltage electrodes, wherein the surfaces of the trigger ring and the opposing high voltage electrodes are shaped to provide a uniform electric field in the gap formed therebetween.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.