Fiber-Optic Triggered Spark Gap Switch

Low Energy, Low Jitter

A ±80 kV fiber-optic controlled spark gap switch integrating a DC bias avalanche photoconductive semiconductor switch, reliably triggered with laser energy below 100 μJ, jitter below 3 ns, no self-discharge, and validated in a two-stage LTD.

Jiachen, Wang · Wang, Zhiguo · Jiang, Hongyu · Jiang, Xiaofeng · Cheng, Lou · Wei, Hao

Review of Scientific Instruments 2026

Specifications

Trigger jitter

{'zh': '<3', 'en': '<3'} ns

Laser energy

{'zh': '<100', 'en': '<100'} μJ

Output voltage

{'zh': '±60', 'en': '±60'} kV

Output current

{'zh': '240', 'en': '240'} kA

Shot count

{'zh': '3000', 'en': '3000'}

Advantages

Triggered at low energy

Reliably triggered at laser energy below 100 μJ, reducing the demand on laser sources.

No self-discharge

The switch exhibits no self-discharge, improving system safety for high-voltage applications.

Extremely low jitter

Jitter below 3 ns meets the requirements for large-scale synchronized triggering.

High-voltage output reliable

Synchronously triggered for 180 shots under ±60 kV bipolar DC, generating ~240 kA output current, validating practicality.

Applications

• Pulsed Power Systems：For synchronized triggering of LTD modules, simplifying trigger system topology.
• High-Power Synchronized Triggering：Achieve nanosecond-level synchronization of many switches, improving system performance.
• High-Voltage Switching Devices：As a ±80 kV high-voltage switch with no self-discharge, suitable for high-voltage applications.