Rail-gap switch with a multistep high-voltage triggering system

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Pulsed Power Systems
• High-Voltage Switching

Background:

• Pulsed power systems require reliable and fast high-voltage switches.
• Traditional switches often face limitations in triggering speed and jitter.
• Developing advanced switching technologies is crucial for enhancing pulsed power system performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a rail-gap switch with a multistep triggering system.
• To achieve precise and rapid triggering for multichannel discharges.
• To evaluate the switch's performance in terms of delay, jitter, and inductance.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a rail-gap switch with precise electrode alignment using a specialized jig.
• Implementation of a multistep triggering system involving optical, slow HV, and fast HV pulse generators.
• Testing the switch using a capacitor bank (0.5 μF, 20 kV) and analyzing discharge characteristics.

Main Results:

• The multistep triggering system generated a negative high-voltage pulse (< -40 kV) with a fast fall time (-6.6 ± 0.4 kV/ns).
• The rail-gap switch demonstrated robust triggering with a 180 ns delay and a low jitter of 20 ns (∼2% uncertainty).
• The switch exhibited a low inductance of approximately 80 nH.

Conclusions:

• The developed rail-gap switch and its multistep triggering system are suitable for pulsed power applications requiring current rise times around 1 μs.
• The precise triggering and low inductance offer significant advantages for high-performance pulsed power systems.
• This technology advances the capability of high-voltage switching in demanding applications.