Improved performance of a plasma opening switch using a novel anode configuration

The performance of a plasma opening switch (POS), as measured by the peak opening voltage developed, has been improved from ≈1.2 to ≈2.3 MV through a simple modification of the anode electrode. This modification was motivated by observation of electron damage to the anode in the POS region, and consisted of the removal of any metallic surfaces that exhibited significant damage and were not essential to the integrity of the switch. Because present analytic theories and PIC simulations of the switch have not yet addressed the effect modifications to the anode may have to the opening phase in depth, it is hoped that in addition to providing a technique for improving POS operation, the work reported here may also provide incentive for further theoretical investigation