Semiconductor bridge (SCB) igniter studies: 1, Comparison of SCB and hot-wire pyrotechnic actuators
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a means for igniting pyrotechnics, propellants and primary or secondary explosives using a semiconductor bridge (SCB) instead of the small metal bridgewires, called hot wires, conventionally used for explosive components. The SCB is a heavily n-doped silicon film, typically 100 ..mu..m long by 380 ..mu..m wide by 2 ..mu..m thick, which when driven with a short (20 ..mu..s), low-energy current pulse (less than 3 mJ), generates a hot plasma that ignites the explosives. We report in this paper a study of pyrotechnic actuators built with SCB igniters in which we obtained the Langlie All-Fire, Langlie No-Fire and Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) characteristics. Two SCB designs were tested. The first (designated as a type 3-2) was the rectangularly shaped bridge described above. The second (designated as a type 15) included a modification of the rectangular bridge consisting of a narrow waist region. We compare our data for these prototype SCB components with the same actuators built with conventional hot-wire igniters. The results obtained demonstrated the main characteristics of SCB devices: (1) the SCB actuators functioned at one-tenth the input energy of the hot-wire actuators, (2) had higher no-fire currents than the hot-wire devices, (3) passed ESD tests, and (4) functioned in a few tens of microseconds versus the millisecond response of the hot-wire components. 8 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Monsanto Research Corp., Miamisburg, OH (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 7157717
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-87-3095C1; CONF-880750-3; ON: DE88008802
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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