Design and Experiment of a 600 kV V/N Switch

A V/N switch for a multi-pulse generator has been designed, constructed and tested. The switch, using a spark gap to isolate triggered pulse and a multi-stage triggered electrode to cause the breakdown more quickly, can work at 600 kV with the time jitter less than 2 ns and the rising time less than 20 ns. Compared to other types of pulsed high-voltage switch, the N/V switch can operated stably by using triggered pulse with a relatively lower voltage and at lower cost. However, under specific circumstance, performance of the switch deteriorates, which is also discussed in this paper.