PLASMA CATHODE FOR HIGH POWER PHOTOIONIZED LASERS AND PLASMA SWITCHES

FUTURE SYSTEMS EMPLOYING PULSED POWER TECHNOLOGY WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ART OF PULSED POWER DEVICES. IN PARTICULAR, HIGH VOLTAGE REPETITIVE SWITCHES ARE NEEDED WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY GO BEYOND THE PRESENT CAPABILITIES OF KNOWN SWITCHES. FUTURE SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO HANDLE VOLTAGES RANGING FROM HUNDREDS OF KILOVOLTS TO MEGAVOLTS, HUNDREDS OF KILOAMPERES TO MEGAAMPERES, AND REPETITION RATES UP TO 100 KILOHERTZ. THE SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE MUST SATISY THESE CONDITIONS AS WELL AS HAVE LOW TIMING JITTER, LOW SWITCHING DELAYS, HAVE LONG LIFETIMES, OPERATE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES, AND HAVE LOW LOSSES. WE PROPOSE A NEW SWITCH TECHNOLOGY WHICH OFFERS SCALABILITY TO ALL OF THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS. WE PROPOSE TO DESIGN, FABRICATE, AND TEST OUR PROPOSED SWITCH IN THIS PHASE I EFFORT. THE OBJECTIVE WILL BE TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE CONCEPT AND PROVIDE A BASIS FOR A PHASE II OPTIMIZATION AND CHARACTERIZATION PROGRAM.