High-repetition rate sealed-off pseudospark switches for pulsed modulators

Experimental results of high-repetition-rate pseudospark switch testing are reported. Typical test parameters are hold-off voltage of about 20 kV, peak currents on the order of 10 kA, and pulse durations between 50 and 100 ns. The discharge circuit, with discrete ceramic capacitors up to 10.8 nF total, produced a ringing discharge with peak currents on the order of 10 kA. Current reversal under these conditions was up to 80% of the peak current. A sealed-off, ceramic-metal pseudospark switch with integral deuterium reservoir tested in this setup achieved repetition rates of up to 1.8 kHz without latching or triggering failures. Some 10⁷ shots have been performed without degradation of the switch performance