Electrical Measurements for Nanosecond Repetitive Pulsed Discharges

In this paper, a device for accurate electrical measurements for nanosecond repetitive pulsed discharges (NRPDs) is presented. The experimental setup developed is based on an interelectrode system integrated in a transverse electromagnetic cell. This setup allows synchronizing the voltage and current measurements with a 4-GHz frequency bandwidth, corresponding to 250-ps pulse duration. A coaxial-shaped sharp metallic needle serves as a probe for current measurements. The needle probe is also the point electrode of a point-to-plane system used to generate discharges. The experimental setup was used to electrically characterize NRP corona and diffuse discharges, in negative polarity. Discharge current pulses with rise times less than 1 ns and amplitudes up to 120 mA were measured. The energy deposited by discharges was also determined.