A Simple High-Performance Exploding Wire Opening Switch

Autonomous pulsed-power sources for radiation generators often require a compact high-performance opening switch. As this is frequently expendable, due to the use of an explosively driven power supply, a simple arrangement for the opening switch is clearly a target. The paper details a high-performance exploding-wire opening switch that is capable of generating voltages up to about 0.25 MV, and which does not require any special features such as a pressurised gas supply or the tedious mounting of a very large number of thin wires. The results of experiments in which the switch is used as a component of a conditioning circuit will be presented and discussed.