A Planar Micro Spark Gap Switch with a Triggering Electrode

A planar micro spark gap switch was designed and fabricated on a quartz (or glass) wafer using the surface micromachining based on non-silicon surface micromachining technology. It consists of two arc main electrodes and a thin strip, a triggered electrode. The gap distance between two main electrodes is 800μm. The switch is integratable for its micron size and its cost is reduced profiting from MEMS technology. The designed switch has been optimized and tested. By decreasing spark gap length of the main gap and increasing discharge density of the triggering gap, it gives out a pulse current with peak of 7173.91A and 74ns rise time. The pulse peak current is about 3 times larger than that of the schottky diode one-shot switch reported and the pulse rise time is less than it.