Plasma opening switch

Patent · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:874060

Savage, Mark E ^[1]

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1. Albuquerque, NM

A command triggered plasma opening switch assembly using an amplification stage. The assembly surrounds a coaxial transmission line and has a main plasma opening switch (POS) close to the load and a trigger POS upstream from the main POS. The trigger POS establishes two different current pathways through the assembly depended on whether it has received a trigger current pulse. The initial pathway has both POS's with plasma between their anodes and cathodes to form a short across the transmission line and isolating the load. The final current pathway is formed when the trigger POS receives a trigger current pulse which energizes its fast coil to push the conductive plasma out from between its anode and cathode, allowing the main transmission line current to pass to the fast coil of the main POS, thus pushing its plasma out the way so as to establish a direct current pathway to the load.

• Research Organization: SANDIA CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)
• Patent Number(s): US 6304042
• OSTI ID: 874060
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/315/
allowing
amplification
amplification stage
anode
anodes
assembly
cathode
cathodes
close
coaxial
coaxial transmission
coil
command
conductive
current
current pulse
depended
direct
energizes
establish
establishes
fast
final
form
formed
initial
isolating
line
load
main
pass
pathway
pathways
plasma
pulse
push
pushing
received
receives
stage
surrounds
switch
switch assembly
transmission
transmission line
trigger
triggered
upstream