Photoconductive Pulse Power Switches

Abstract

This paper outlines the advantages and the potential of photoconductive switches applied to pulse power systems. The photoconductive effect can be used to switch large amounts of energy by changing the conductivity of a solid-state circuit element many orders of magnitude with a high-power laser. The simplicity of these devices offers many advantages in pulse power applications when combined with high-power pulsed lasers. The surge capability, the switched energy gain, and the maximum average power for photoconductive power switches are discussed. In addition, the results of a 100-kV, 100-MW photoconductive switch experiment transferring 20 J in 200 ns are presented.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA638301

Entities

People

  • W. C. Nunnally

Organizations

  • Los Alamos National Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Carrier Mobility
  • Coaxial Cables
  • Conductivity
  • Current Density
  • Electric Fields
  • Electrodes
  • Electron Holes
  • Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Transfer Coefficients
  • Impedance
  • Inductance
  • Lasers
  • Materials
  • Power
  • Resistance
  • Silicon Controlled Rectifiers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Plasma Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy