New solid state opening switches for repetitive pulsed power technology

In 1991 we discovered a semiconductor opening switch (SOS) effect that occurs in p⁺-p-n-n⁺ silicon structures at a current density of up to 60 kA/cm². This effect was used to develop high-power semiconductor opening switches in intermediate inductive storage circuits. The breaking power of opening switches was as high as 5 GW with the interrupted current up to 45 kA, reverse voltage up to 1 MV and the current interruption time between 10 and 60 ns [1,2]. The opening switches were assembled from quantity-produced Russian-made rectifying diodes type SDL with hard recovery characteristic. On the basis of experimental and theoretical investigations of the SOS effect new SOS diodes were designed and manufactured by the Electrophysics Institute. The paper gives basic parameters of the SOS diodes. New diodes offer a greater value of the interrupted current and shorter time of current interruption accompanied by a considerable increase in the energy switching efficiency. The new SOS diodes were used to develop repetitive all-solid-state pulsed generators with an output voltage up to 250 kV, pulse repetition rate up to 5 kHz, and pulse duration between 10 and 30 ns.