Investigation of the optical and electrical characteristics of a spark gap

Author

Greason, William D. ; Kucerovsky, Zdenek ; Bulach, Sviatoslav ; Flatley, Martin W.

Author_Institution

Fac. of Eng. Sci., Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada

Volume

33

Issue

6

fYear

1997

Firstpage

1519

Lastpage

1526

Abstract

A spark-gap apparatus and a high-speed optoelectronic measurement system were used to examine the optical and electrical characteristics of spark discharges. Parameters studied included the magnitude and polarity of the discharge voltage, gap length, and the impedance of the discharge circuit. Analyses were performed to compare the measured optical signatures as a function of the discharge current. Results of the experimentally measured parameters compare well with theoretically computed values. The work has application in the study of electrostatic discharge (ESD) events

Keywords

arcs (electric); electric impedance measurement; electrostatic discharge; optical variables measurement; optoelectronic devices; photodiodes; spark gaps; voltage measurement; ESD events; arc discharges; discharge circuit impedance; discharge current; discharge voltage magnitude; discharge voltage polarity; electrical characteristics; electrostatic discharge; gap length; optical characteristics; photodiodes; spark discharges; spark gap; Circuit analysis; Electric variables; Electric variables measurement; Electrostatic discharge; Electrostatic measurements; High speed optical techniques; Impedance; Performance analysis; Spark gaps; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Industry Applications, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-9994

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/28.649964

Filename

649964