Carbon Nanotubes as a Cold Electron Beam Source for Pseudospark Plasma Switches and Pulsed Power Applications

In this paper, application of carbon nanotube coated cold cathodes for high-voltage, high-current, plasma switches for pulsed power applications is reported. We have fabricated and characterized a pseudospark switch with a carbon nanotube coated cold cathode as an electron beam source for controlling the switch. The demonstrated cold cathode triggered pseudospark switch is free from severe thermal management difficulties unlike switches relying on thermionic electron emission for triggering. This device requires a low trigger voltage and a low electron current emitted from carbon nanotubes for turning on a high-voltage switch, and is very compact, while potentially capable of controlling a relatively high-voltage when gases such as hydrogen instead of argon which was used for this test device to fill the switch.