Pseudosparks, and the back‐lighted thyratron (BLT) in particular, are finding increasing application as pulse power switches. An attractive feature of BLTs is that high current densities (≥ tens of kA cm−2) can be sustained from metal cathodes without auxiliary heating. The source of this current is believed to be electric‐field‐enhanced thermionic emission resulting from heating of the cathode by ion bombardment during commutation which ultimately melts the surface of the cathode. It is proposed that a photon‐driven ionization mechanism in the interelectrode gap of the BLT is responsible for initiating the observed patterns of cathode surface melting and electron emission. A 21/2‐dimensional computer model is presented that incorporates a photo‐induced ionization mechanism to spread the plasma into the interelectrode gap. It predicts a melting of the cathode in a pattern similar to that which is experimentally observed, and predicts a rate of field‐enhanced thermionic electron emission that is sufficient to explain the high BLT conduction current density. In the absence of these mechanisms, the model does not predict the observed large‐area melting of the face of the cathode. The cathode heating rate during the BLT switching phase is maximum for operating parameters that are very close to the limit for which the switch will close (that is, the smallest possible pressure‐electrode spacing product and smallest possible electrode holes).
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15 October 1992
Research Article|
October 15 1992
Cathode heating mechanisms in pseudospark plasma switches Available to Purchase
Timothy J. Sommerer;
Timothy J. Sommerer
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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Hoyoung Pak;
Hoyoung Pak
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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Mark J. Kushner
Mark J. Kushner
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Search for other works by this author on:
Timothy J. Sommerer
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Hoyoung Pak
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Mark J. Kushner
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, 1406 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801
J. Appl. Phys. 72, 3374–3383 (1992)
Article history
Received:
April 17 1992
Accepted:
June 18 1992
Citation
Timothy J. Sommerer, Hoyoung Pak, Mark J. Kushner; Cathode heating mechanisms in pseudospark plasma switches. J. Appl. Phys. 15 October 1992; 72 (8): 3374–3383. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.351459
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