Plasma Limiter: Electromagnetic Attack Protection for BMDS Radars

The enabling solid state semiconductor technology in radar systems supporting the U. S. Army's ballistic missile defense program increases its vulnerability to the effects of high power, fast rise-time EMP, HPM, and UWB pulses. In recent years, significant advances in the technology used to produce these pulses have been made in the United States and abroad, increasing the need for effective protection against these threats. Plasma Sciences Corporation (PSC) has extensive experience in the development of plasma limiters to protect sensitive electronic equipment from high power, fast rise-time pulses. Existing plasma limiter technology utilizes a metallic point-plane electrode configuration. While this configuration has been reasonably effective, the advent of aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays presents an opportunity to greatly improve plasma limiter performance. Using a CNT array as a field enhancing electrode in a plasma limiter promises to offer faster reaction time, higher power handling capability, and greater reliability than existing systems, providing effective protection for BMDS radars against high power, fast rise-time pulses.