RIMFIRE: A Six Megavolt Laser-Triggered Gas-Filled Switch for PBFA II
Abstract
We have developed a new multiple-stage laser-triggered sF 6 spark gap, which has performed well in tests at nearly 6 megavolts and half a megampere. It has survived many hundreds of shots between 5 and 5.7 MV the highest voltage tested. A 25 millijoule ultraviolet laser pulse arriving in its trigger gap reliably closes the whole switch in 20 nanoseconds with 0.4 ns 1-sigma jitter. The closing time has a low dependence on the applied voltage, about 0.9 ns/% of self-break voltage. For a 10 mJ laser pulse, the jitter is 1.5 ns and the slope is 1.0 ns/%. No prefires have occurred; the estimated prefire rate at 90% of self-breaking voltage is less than 0.1%. The switch inductance is 400 nanohenries, of which about 100 nh comes from the spark channels. The switch is 68 em long and 61 em in diameter.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA638624
Entities
People
- B. N. Turman
- D. R. Humphreys
- J. F. Seamen
- J. S. Cap
- K. J. Penn
- R. G. Adams
Organizations
- Sandia National Laboratories