Fabrication and Testing of an Optically Activated Switch for Pulsed Power Applications

The key to achieving a compact yet reliable pulse power system lies in the switches. The ideal switch would be modular and scalable thus allowing for mega-volts and mega-amps of current to be switched with nanosecond rise-times. OptiSwitch TechnologyCorporation (OTC) proposes to develop a revolutionary optically activated thyristor fabricated with conventional, low-risk, silicon processing. With a novel optical coupling system, a 5cm2 switch can block 10 kV and conduct 25 kA with a rise-time of <10ns. The low jitter from optical activation, allows for parallel (MA) and/or series (MV) arrangement to meet demanding DOD and commercial pulsed power requirements. The salient features of the switch are:Optical triggering simplifies the series (high voltage) and parallel (high current) operation of the switch. Optimized diffusion profiles to maximize the blocking voltage while enabling faster turn-on and a reduced on-state voltage. Novel optical couplingsystem which enables quasi-uniform activation over a large area with a minimum number of fiber optics and reduced laser energy.In Phase II a credible and scalable experiment will be conducted in which at least two 5cm2 switches will be operated in series to 20kV blocking and a rise-time of 10 ns to 25kA.