Pulse forming technology on crowbar circuit of two parallel-connected triggered vacuum gaps

Triggered vacuum gaps (TVGs) can work for large current and high voltage in comparison with semiconductor devices, and have advantageous that are shown good switching characteristics for the wide working voltage range with no adjustment of the gap length. However, a switching time of TVG is strongly influenced by the main voltage polarity. It is called polarity effect. The authors found that a circuit of two parallel-connected TVGs generated a crowbar current automatically. When two TVGs used as a start switch and a crowbar switch, respectively, characteristics of the crowbar circuit of two parallel-connected TVGs was examined experimentally. In this paper, the pulse forming technology in the crowbar circuit which employing two TVGs is examined experimentally. It is clarified that the time to half value of the crowbar current is controlled by inserting a resistor or a capacitor. And the characteristics of the crowbar current are measured