A miniature triggered vacuum gap switch for high energy-density pulsed switching applications

Triggered vacuum switch (TVS) tubes have become increasingly employed in pulsed switching applications, where several kilo-ampere current pulses may be switched with the TVS operated across a broad range of operating voltage conditions. Here, the authors describe the TVG5 triggered vacuum switch tube, a miniature TVS device, where the triggering of the TVG5 is initiated by the surface-flashover of a metallised ceramic probe within the vacuum envelope. The internal structure of a surface flashover initiated TVS is illustrated in the paper