A novel micro-capillary discharge plasma jet triggered gas switch.

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Plasma Physics
• Pulsed Power Systems

Background:

• Three-electrode gas switches in linear transformer drivers (LTDs) face challenges with working coefficient and jitter.
• Existing trigger methods may not sufficiently optimize switch performance for high-power applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel trigger method for three-electrode gas switches to reduce working coefficient and jitter.
• To investigate the role of microplasma jets generated by capillary discharge in improving gas switch performance.

Main Methods:

• Developed a trigger system utilizing a nanosecond pulse to generate a microplasma jet via capillary discharge.
• Injected the microplasma jet into the breakdown gap of the gas switch.
• Simulated the influence of capillary parameters (length, diameter) on microplasma jet development and triggered breakdown.

Main Results:

• The microplasma jet significantly reduced breakdown delay time, jitter, and working coefficient.
• Optimized capillary parameters (increased length, decreased diameter) improved triggered breakdown performance.
• Positive pulse triggering resulted in lower breakdown delay and jitter compared to negative pulses.

Conclusions:

• The microplasma jet trigger method effectively enhances the working performance of three-electrode gas switches.
• Microplasma jet influences streamer formation, crucial for reducing delay and jitter.
• Capillary discharge parameters and pulse polarity are key factors for optimizing this novel triggering technique.