A study of the discharge phenomena of rhodium-plated contact reed switches

Rhodium-plated contact reed switches have been used in various fields that require high reliability, such as measurement and control. To attain high breakdown voltage, the inside of the reed switch glass tube is placed under high pressure or in vacuum. The discharge phenomena of high breakdown voltage reed switches, such as the pressurized reed switch and vacuum reed switch, were studied, and the discharge phenomena of general-purpose reed switches were investigated with respect to their basic mechanism and reactions. In the course of this study, the contact surfaces were analyzed after discharge, assuming that the carrier in the discharge must remain on them. The analysis revealed that the nitrogen cation and oxygen anion serve as carriers in the discharge for the pressurized reed switch and general-purpose reed switch. In the vacuum reed switch the oxygen anion triggers the discharge as a carrier