A Gas Switch Triggered by a Microhollow Cathode Discharge (MHCD) Array With Lower Trigger Energy

A microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) array was operated at atmospheric pressure with a pulse voltage of 2.5 kV supplied by a trigger circuit. Triggered by this MHCD array, a gas switch with an annular plate structure operated under a voltage of 27 kV with a fall time of 30 ns and a current of 400 A with a rise time of 15 ns was investigated. It is used for discharging the charge stored in a capacitor of 4 nF through a resistor of 50 Ω. The advantages of the switch are obvious: a compact trigger with lower trigger voltage. An electrical model including MHCD capacitance is built, and the simulation results agree well with the experimental results.